


Passion Fruit

by MegaKat



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Forbidden Love, Fruit of Might, Loss of Virginity, Mating Bites, Mating Bond, Princess and the Pirate, Protective Older Brothers, Romance, Shameless Smut, Smut, Space Pirates, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-02-18
Packaged: 2018-03-12 06:10:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 48,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3346442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegaKat/pseuds/MegaKat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At best, transporting the sister of Prince Vegeta is an awfully boring job, but the money is good and Turles takes it anyway. But it will turn out to be anything but boring when she samples a bite of a fruit from the Tree of Might... and it has some interesting effects on her Lunarian body...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Why do I take these damned jobs?” Punching a few more buttons to make sure the transport was running in optimum order, he nodded with satisfaction. “Well, at least that means we’ll be there on time… I swear by the gods when I arrive, I’m making it clear to that royal pain in the ass that I am _not_ a damned babysitter. Shit, I’m a pirate! _A scary fucking pirate_! The only time I should be transporting princesses is when I’ve stolen them for ransom or my own pleasure!”

                Turles left the engine room, slamming the door behind him and grumbled as he decided to check on his cargo. Princess in a frilly dress or not, the cargo was still Vegeta’s baby sister and the prince would wring his piratey neck if there was so much as a scratch on her when they arrived. “Woman? You alive in here?” He called as he entered the living quarters.

                No answer, so he checked the kitchen, which was where he usually found her if she was in that section of the ship. Nope, but she’d recently been there. Clean and neat and tidy this woman was not, and she ate like a Saiyan at that. It didn’t matter if she was full-blooded Lunarian, the girl could still match him plate for plate, and it was the one thing she did that was _not_ ladylike in the least. Hell, watching her eat reminded him of the eating contests between himself and his brother as brats; Usagi seemed to take it as a subtle challenge if Turles was even one plate ahead of her whenever he called her for mess. “Gods… we’ll have to make another stop just for supplies at this rate,” he growled as he surveyed the destruction that was the kitchen.

                Turles was no maid, but his ship was his baby and he refused to let her get messy. And since the little princess probably didn’t even know how to wash dishes he wound up taking care of them after every meal. Never mind that she’d thanked him for it on more than one occasion and had even cleaned his armor for him whenever he’d removed it, stating that she did it for Vegeta all the time whenever she visited him.

                Dishes washed, Turles ventured towards the sleeping quarters. “Woman?” Still no response, and Turles felt a twinge of unease. The woman usually talked her head off and was loud as hell… no, she likely was fine. Probably just sleeping. Gods knew she slept like a fucking rock, and after all of the rations she’d just consumed she’d probably slipped into a food coma.

                But she wasn’t in her room, and there was only a few other places she could likely be, all of them forbidden to her. “Usagi!?” Turles froze and blinked when he heard a soft whimper coming from further down the hall, and his fist clenched in anger. “Woman! You’d better have a damned good reason for being in **_my_** sleeping quarters!” He yelled as he stomped down the hallway. “You know fucking well that a woman never goes into a warrior’s room unless she wants one thing!” Turles slammed the door open and gaped at the sight in front of him, unable to process what he was even seeing.

                Never mind the trembling princess sitting on his floor. Never mind the fact that she was sweating lightly and he could smell the fact that she was in heat… and extremely aroused. What held his total and utter attention was the fact that the bowl on his nightstand was missing a single fruit out of the two dozen… and that fruit was sitting in her hand, half-eaten. “You did _not_ fucking steal one of _my_ fruits,” he ground between his teeth as his tail thrashed behind him wildly in rage.

                “Turles…” Usagi gripped the chair she’d fallen from and shook as the movement made her ache between her thighs. “What’s… please… what’s wrong with me!? It… it burns! I feel so hot!”

                That was when he took in the whole scene and managed to focus on something besides a missing fruit. “You’re aroused. And in heat. No wonder you feel hot,” he snorted, mentally slapping his inner beast when his tail began to thrash around in a much different manner. “Why is beyond me. What I want to know is why you took it upon yourself to invade my quarters and steal from me?”

                “I wanted dessert but we were all out of anything sweet, and when I—“ Usagi whimpered when she shifted and a shot of pleasure ran through her from the friction between her legs. “I didn’t think you’d mind it if I ate just one!”

                “In that fruit,” Turles ground out, “lies all of the power of a single planet and everything that was living on it. Do you know how fucking hard I worked for those?” He snarled.

                “Well, this one was a dud,” Usagi whimpered. “It made me hurt; it’s got to be poisoned or something.”

                “No,” he snorted, “it’s likely because you’re Lunarian, stupid woman. Fruit from the Tree of Might doesn’t always have the same effect on everyone. It makes me stronger, for example. It makes humans live longer. It even heals wounds for certain races. And you… well…” He smirked slightly as her hand rubbed at the ache between her legs. “It made you unbelievably horny.”

                “Horny?” She asked, clearly confused by the word.

                “Dear gods… Vegeta’s sister and still so damned naïve.” He watched her stroke herself again and licked his lips at the sight when she moaned softly and her eyes fluttered shut. “Do that again and I’ll forgive you for coming in here,” he whispered slowly, surprising himself at how utterly turned on he was by watching her, how his beast was reacting to her as if she’d be a prime choice for a mate.

                Turles bit down on his lower lip, silently willing himself to shut up when his chest began to rattle at the sight of her touching herself again, her lips parting slightly as she gasped for air. “Does that feel good, princess?”

                Usagi nodded, cracking open her eyes to look up at him. “I… I don’t know why, though… why… why is this helping?”

                Inwardly groaning at how his beast was controlling his body, Turles knelt in front of her and pushed her skirts up around her thighs. “I’ll explain later. Try it without all the clothing in the way, little rabbit.”

                That was something she comprehended and she blushed at the idea. “But you’ll see me… and… and I don’t know what I’m doing…”

                “Think of this not just as a learning experience, but also as a way to redeem yourself, princess. Do as I say and not only will I forgive you for stealing from me, but I’ll also forget to mention this little incident to your mother.” _Gods, and we always joked how Raditz would be the one to get executed for thinking with his cock,_ Turles mentally groaned. But this was just too good to pass up; Usagi was renowned on both the moon and on Vegeta-sai for her unparalleled beauty, and any Saiyan’s inner beast would be jumping at the chance to get between her virginal thighs, to take her as a mate. _Vegeta’s going to kill me._ “Well, I guess I could help you if you’d like,” he mused, seemingly nonchalant about the whole thing. “Have you ever had a man touch you there before? It feels a whole lot better when someone else is doing it and not yourself.”

                “It does?” Usagi blinked and despite her shyness she found herself nodding. The horrible ache between her legs was only getting stronger and the thought of relieving it was the only thing she could focus on.

                “Sure, it does. Come here, Rabbit. I’ll show you.” He pulled her to him and settled her in his lap, licking his lips at the hazy look of desire in her big blue eyes as he slid his hand up her skirt and caressed the insides of her thighs. Her reaction was immediate and he chuckled when she squirmed, the friction rubbing him in all the right places and arousing him in turn. “Hold still, little rabbit. You don’t want me to stop, do you?” He asked, his question punctuated by a brush of his knuckles over her underwear.

                Usagi arched into that touch and shook her head. “Please don’t stop, Turles… that felt so good…”

                “I won’t, Rabbit,” he whispered against her ear as he felt his pants tighten a little more in reaction to a soft moan coming out of her mouth. His touch was firmer as he began to rub at the crotch of her panties, and her arousal was evident by the way the cotton was utterly soaked with her desire.

                “You… you said without the clothes in the way,” she whimpered weakly.

                “Would you like me to touch you without these on?” He purred seductively. “To feel my bare skin on you?”

                “Yes… please, yes…” Usagi lifted her bottom to help him slide them down her legs and went limp in his arms at the first touch of his bare fingers caressing the lips of her sex, gently parting the folds to stroke her entrance.

                Turles held her still as her hips lifted and her back bowed immediately when he just barely brushed his calloused fingers over her clit for the first time and nipped at her ear lightly in warning. “Hold still, Rabbit,” he reminded her.

                “I can’t help it,” she whined, “my body’s doing it on its own! **_Please_** , Turles, make it stop,” she begged, on the verge of tears from sheer need.

                His beast reacted before Turles could, and that was with worry for the petite blonde in his lap. How much of that fruit had she eaten, anyway? “Rabbit, how many did you eat? It only looked like one was missing, but…”

                “Just the half of that one, I swear it,” she sobbed. She would have been warmed by the way he was wiping at the few tears that had leaked out, but the only thing she could concentrate on was the throbbing inside of her for more of his touch.

                Ok, they were going to have to go a lot further than he thought. Turles had been planning on just getting her off and having her return the favor, but something told him she was going to need a lot more attention than that. “Alright, Rabbit, come on,” he said, lifting her up as he stood and carried her to his bed. “Must be because you’re in heat, too. Just relax for me,” he ordered as he began to work at the buttons and ties on her gown. “Damned royal finery. I swear, woman… we’re on a transport out in the middle of space, and I’m the only one here besides you. Why do you bother with the damned dress? It’s not like I haven’t seen you in nothing but training clothing.”

                “Mother insisted,” she answered miserably as she sat up and began to help him with the ties to her dress, totally uncaring at that point if he saw her naked. If it got rid of the burning need inside of her she’d do **_whatever_** he wanted. The moment her dress was gone she felt his mouth moving over her throat and the tops of her breasts and moaned, clutching and tugging at his tank top. “Corset… we need to get the cor—“ Well, forget the corset, it was gone with a simple cut down the center from the knife he usually had on his belt, and she arched into his hands when they immediately went to her breasts, kneading the soft flesh and teasing the nipples with the callouses on his palms.

                In the back of her hazy mind, a tiny sane voice was trying to yell at her, trying to tell her that what they were doing was the thing that only married people did at night, the thing that her mother had told her she would do on her wedding night in the future. What that thing was, she didn’t exactly know, but instinct told her that this—the touching and the pleasure—was it.

                But she didn’t care; that thing seemed to be easing the burning inside of her while leaving her aching for more, and when his mouth pressed to hers she moaned, arched into the fingers slipping into her folds, and opened to his questing tongue. Usagi was squirming again as he stroked that spot between her legs that had made her thrash about; pleasure was shooting through her body, easing the effects of the fruit, but it was so damned intense that she could hardly stand it. “Too much,” she whimpered between kisses. “Please, Turles… please…”

                The Saiyan warrior pinning her nodded, stripped off his shirt, and kissed her passionately as he fumbled with the buttons on his pants. He knew what she needed and her scent had him more aroused than he’d ever been in his life… and he had every intention of giving it to her as long and as hard as she needed it. “Gonna hurt at first, little rabbit… try to relax for now and I’ll do this properly next time.”

                Usagi had no clue what he was talking about, but yet again, if it relieved the burning she’d do whatever he thought would help it. That was when she felt him pressing his entry and gasped at the mix of pain and pleasure, only to be silenced as he kissed her again. Only this time the kiss was soft, slow and tender, a kiss that was meant to soothe and relax her even though every muscle was as tight as a bowstring.

                Turles did what he could to prepare her despite the fact that she was already sopping wet, and when she began to writhe and clutch at him he drove forward, filling her quickly despite the pain he knew he was inflicting with every rough shove past all of that tight resistance. “Did that help even a little?” He whispered as she fought to breathe beneath him while he let his hands gently stroke and calm her.

                “Yes… but it hurts,” she whimpered.

                “I know, sweetheart, I know. I can make it feel really good if you don’t mind a courtship mark… we’re still six weeks out and it’ll probably heal within two.”

                Usagi nodded rapidly and offered up her shoulder, her hand tangling in his hair the moment she felt his teeth graze her skin. “Do it,” she whispered when he only kissed and licked at the spot for several moments. “Please, Turles… feels like I’m dying…”

                He felt her stiffen when he sunk his teeth in and couldn’t help but groan happily at both the taste of her and the sensation of her tightening around him as she moaned his name heatedly. “Dear gods, Usagi… you feel so good, sweetheart… I’m going to move now and it should feel good, but tell me if I’m hurting you, ok?”

                She didn’t have to say a word one way or another; the moment he moved she cried out loudly, her voice echoing throughout the ship as she began to meet him for every thrust, her shouts becoming louder and sharper as he began to pound into her hard and fast. Usagi found herself unable to breathe as she screamed in reaction to an avalanche of sensation exploding within her, her back bowing dangerously high the moment she came.

                Turles collapsed on top of her, dripping sweat as she milked him forcefully, both of them sagging and trembling in the aftermath. “Holy shit, Rabbit,” he eventually whispered. “Better?”

                “Yes, but… it’s coming back,” she whimpered softly, her lips slowly wandering the thick column of his throat.

                “Alright then. Come on, Rabbit. I promised that I would do this right and I will.” Turles carried her from the bed to the bath and set her down in it as the water began to fill the tub, climbing in with her after retrieving some necessities.

                “The hot water’s making it worse,” she practically sobbed, immediately yanking him to her and rubbing against him. She could almost feel every molecule of water brushing along her skin, lighting her on fire from her neck down, and her body was screaming yet again for some kind of friction, **_anything_** to give her some sense of relief. “Please Turles… please do it again… it made me feel so much better,” she begged softly, already straddling his lap as her body took over for what her mind didn’t know how to do.

                “Hang on, sweetheart,” Turles purred sympathetically. Dear gods, this was almost identical to the way Saiyan males felt and acted during the burning, and Turles couldn’t help but feel deeply sorry for her; he knew all too well how he wanted nothing more than to fuck all day long for a week straight whenever it hit him once every few years. “I’d rather not taste blood and myself, so let me get you clean and I’ll take care of you.”

                “Taste?” Usagi asked in confusion. Another question was on her lips but it flew right out of her head when he began to wash between her legs, every stroke of the washcloth in his hands making her clutch at him and moan deliriously for more. She nearly cried when he removed his hand, but before she could voice her desperation he was lifting her up to the edge of the tub and his head was between her legs, his lips immediately sucking and nibbling at her clit.

                Her release came within a matter of moments and she screamed again as her fingers clutched at his scalp and pulled at his hair.

                Turles didn’t stop there; he was slowly growing aroused yet again but wasn’t quite ready to perform just yet. He kept her hips pinned as he continued the slow, sure motions of his mouth while he added his tail to the mix, thrusting it inside of her steadily, ripping scream after scream of rapture from her pretty little throat.

                One of his hands fumbled blindly to the side of her for a moment and he grinned into her heat as he found the rest of the fruit that he’d brought. “Hold still,” he murmured when he pulled away for a moment, smiling in satisfaction at the way she immediately sagged backwards, panting heavily, her body coated in a fine sheen of sweat. “I thought I’d mix the two best things I’ve ever had in my mouth,” he purred as he carefully squeezed the fruit from the Tree of Might over her already-soaked folds.

                Usagi’s reaction was instantaneous, and she grabbed at his hair again and yanked him back down as the juice made her ache and tingle afresh despite all of the attention Turles had shown the throbbing bud between her thighs. “Made it so much worse!” She yelped as he gave her a slow lick.

                Turles groaned deliriously at the taste of her and began to ravenously lap at every drop of the juice he could find, feeling the power from the fruit trickle into him as he took her with his mouth. “You taste so fucking good it’s unreal,” he told her softly before diving right back in.

                It wasn’t until she’d come numerous times and he was sure he’d gotten all of the tasty juice up that Turles let his beast finally take over and pulled her back into the spacious tub once more. “I want you again, Rabbit,” he whispered between gentle, slow kisses as he pressed against her over-sensitive entrance. He bit her again as he filled her and growled in approval when she arched into him and moaned his name.

                “Feels so good, Turles,” she whispered as she nibbled at his lips, clutching at his back while he began to thrust into her long and slow. “Don’t stop,” she begged weakly, her legs trembling as she began to move in time with him beneath the steaming water.

                “Are you about to come, little rabbit?” Turles whispered sexily as he moved a little harder. “That’s it,” he urged her when she began to tighten around him, “I want to feel your pleasure, Rabbit… I want to know how good I make you feel… oh yeah, _that’s_ it,” he groaned happily when she bit down on her own hand as she cried his name for the hundredth time that day. “Again, Usagi,” he ordered hoarsely before sinking his teeth into her shoulder for the third time and drowning in the sensations pouring through the strengthening courting bond. Gods, the prince and the king were going to kill him if they ever found out about this.

                The princess came again as ordered and for the first time initiated a kiss, claiming his lips aggressively as she tightened and moaned, moving her hips insistently for even more of him. “Please don’t stop,” she begged huskily as she began to kiss and nibble at his throat, slowly dragging her lips over his heated skin just as he’d been doing to her.

                Turles could only make a soft choked noise in response when she found a spot below his jaw that made his knees weak; damn if this naïve little virgin wasn’t a fast learner and a surprisingly passionate lay! “Bed,” he purred suddenly, standing with her still straddling his waist. “Come on, Rabbit, I want you to ride me to your pleasure.” He grinned when she made a little noise of protest and flexed around his throbbing cock, but he’d meant what he’d said and dried them with his ki before taking her back to the bed and lying down with her on top of him. “What, Rabbit? Do you like having me in control? Taking you, pounding into you? Did you enjoy being dominated by a Saiyan warrior?”

                Usagi blushed and nodded and would have probably left the room in embarrassment, but the ache was coming back and she had to move or burn up from the inside out. “And I don’t know what I’m doing,” she admitted shyly.

                “Mmm… you’re doing a fine job, beautiful,” he sighed as she rode him slowly. “You feel so good… nice and hot and tight… and the way you moan my name when you’re coming turns me on like nothing else,” he replied honestly, hoping that the encouragement would help her out. “Mmm… what about you, Rabbit? How does my cock feel inside of you?”

                Usagi blushed brighter but nodded as she moved a little harder, a flash of pleasure making her moan softly. “Feels wonderful, Turles… and a little too big,” she confessed. “But it doesn’t hurt,” she added when she felt a flash of concern for her in the back of her mind.

                “Good… I want it to feel nice for you, Rabbit… come for me like this and I’ll give you what you really want, alright?” The sight of her licking her lips in anticipation made his beast rear up and growl possessively, but Turles conked it on top of the head in reaction. Hell no, he was not taking the princess as a mate. Not only would the king and the prince kill him for that, they’d do it slowly.

                That train of thought was broken when Usagi moaned his name deliriously and began to shake from her impending climax, and Turles purred hard in response, knowing that the vibration between her thighs would send her right over the edge. “Yeah, Rabbit… gods, I love making you come, sweetheart… now… my turn.” He flipped her onto her back then and took over, but stopped when he had a wicked thought. “Hm… you really want me to dominate you, sweetheart?”

                She licked her lips again, and even though the effects of the fruit were wearing off a little bit, she was still feeling uninhibited enough to answer honestly. “Yes, I do… but not if it hurts,” she added nervously.

                “Never hurt you,” he murmured against her lips, his beast taking over at the sight of a flicker of fear in her eyes, moving inside of her once more, keeping the motions soft, slow and soothing. “I swear to give you nothing but pleasure when you’re in my bed, Usagi.” He silenced her with a kiss when he felt her in the back of his head, ready to consent to whatever it was he had in mind. “No, my little rabbit. Next time, maybe. It’s your first time and I’ve been a bit rough with you when I should have been gentle.” He moved harder, but only just a little bit when he felt her soften towards him and her lips feathered over that spot below his jaw once more, her body moving in time with his as she purred with pleasure and clutched at him tightly.

                “Turles?” She whimpered, teetering on the edge.

                “Hm?” He chuckled as she came hard, her nails digging furrows into his back that matched all the others from earlier.

                “I want you to feel good too.” What was that word he’d used? “I want you to come for me… doesn’t seem fair to you… you’ve made me do it so many times…”

                “Only if you’re satisfied, Rabbit… I can wait if you’re not,” he purred as his beast bent his head for him and nibbled at her mark. He could tell through the bond that the fruit was wearing off, but frankly he wasn’t ready for it to be over; not only was he enjoying himself but he was reveling in her responsiveness towards him, the way this petite woman was setting off his inner beast. “Do you need more, sweetheart?”

                “One more,” she said as her hand found the base of his tail and began to stroke; now that she could think a little she remembered Geta telling her that it was a very pleasurable area for a Saiyan male. She wasn’t disappointed, Turles immediately groaned and his purr hit a whole new level, his hips surging forward and sending her towards the edge yet again. “Come with me,” she whimpered, fluffing her fingers through the fur of his tail and giving it a gentle squeeze with her hand as her body squeezed his cock tightly and she moaned his name in total surrender.

                Turles was right there with her and he sank his teeth into the mark yet again as he emptied himself inside of her and groaned in utter satisfaction. “Better?” He whispered once he could think of something other than how great he felt.

                “Mmm… thank you, Turles,” she sighed, giving his tail a slow stroke as she kissed him gently. “I’ll… I’ll head back to my roo—“ He cut her off with another kiss, shaking his head as he fought with the covers and finally drew them up around their trembling, sweaty bodies.

                “Not a fucking chance, woman. You’re sleeping right here tonight,” Turles said smoothly as he wrapped his arms and tail around her and continued to purr for her, his lips twitching up as he felt her smile against his chest. 


	2. Chapter 2

Ah, if only the mornings after wild, unexpected sex weren’t so awkward.

                When Turles woke first and found a very beautiful, deflowered, and very naked princess in his arms, his first reaction was utter and complete panic. _They’re going to fucking kill me._ But the second reaction was right on the heels of the first, and it was his beast purring happily at the sight and smell of her.

                She was his, plain and simple. At least where his beast was concerned, anyway. He’d marked her, and the beast had every intention of convincing her to mark him back. _Oh hell no…_

_You’re going to be executed for this anyway, why not just—_

_NO. There’s a difference between slow and fast, and I’d much rather go out as quickly as the royal males will let me._

_Might as well have some fun before they Garlick Gun you in the dick._

“Hush.”

                That sigh had come from the woman in his arms, who was stirring a little bit but was still almost completely asleep. “Morning,” Turles sighed, not bothering to stop his beast when his head bent and he kissed her slowly, simply moving his mouth over hers just to coax a moan from her throat. “The fruit isn’t still affecting you, is it?”

                “Hm…?” Usagi opened her eyes and his words and her location suddenly hit her like a sack of rocks, snapping her fully awake in an instant. “Ohdeargodsno,” she let out in a rush. “Turles!?” She squeaked in disbelief as she turned her head to find him smirking slightly.

                Well, at least this awkward morning after would be entertaining if nothing else. “Like I said… morning.”

                “Sweet Selene… oh gods… did we really—we didn’t—but Mother said that only married people did—ohdeargodsno, Mother is going to flay me alive!” She cried out as she flopped back and tried not to cry.

                “Well, we have a few good options, Rabbit. One is to pretend like it never happened and go about our business as usual. As for your virginity, I can arrange to have you on horseback at some point right after we arrive, you can fake a fall, and we can say your maidenhead was lost in that manner. No one will be the wiser and we’ll both survive.”

                “Option two?” She barely managed.

                “We make it a really good morning, and the consequences be damned,” Turles chuckled. “I still got the rest of that fruit left,” he teased.

                “Not funny,” she groaned, ignoring the way his tail was tracing over her stomach and her thighs. “What should we do?”

                “Option one.” She’d asked _should_ and not what he wanted to do, and Turles was glad for it. Because his beast would have answered for him if she’d worded the question a little differently.

                So that’s what he wanted… to just go back to how they were. Usagi sat up and nodded, then slipped out of the bed and blushed at the sight of her ruined corset as she began to gather her clothing, trying not to wince at the ache between her thighs that radiated with every step.

                “Sore?” Turles asked in concern, his beast taking over and rolling him out of the bed to check her. “Eh, nope. Hold still, Rabbit. Let me see.” He knelt for a better look, using his tail to keep her in place, and couldn’t help but feel a little rush of pride at the sight of some minor tearing and bruising. “Damn if we didn’t beat it up,” he chuckled. “I’ve got something for that… though it’s amusing seeing you walking so bowlegged.”

                Usagi’s bright red blush made him laugh harder and she sputtered and shoved at him. “I’m fine! And it’s not funny, Turles!”

                “Oh, lighten up, princess. I swear, with my brothers and yours, you’d think you’d have a thicker skin by now from all the teasing. Or at least you’d know when I’m just joking around,” he snorted as he turned his back and rummaged through his nightstand, searching for some fast-healing ointment made from the med tanks. “Here we go, Rabbit,” he said easily as he turned… only to find her gone. “Damn it, didn’t mean to piss her off,” he muttered as he located his pants and shrugged them on before leaving to find her.

                He located her in the kitchen, dressed in something simple for once as she prepared breakfast. Just a backless day dress, no corset or petticoats, and his beast drooled at the sight of all those unbound curves before wincing slightly at the finger-shaped bruises on her back.

                Usagi jumped and yelped a bit at the feeling of something warm and soothing being applied to her bare back, but a fuzzy brown tail was holding her firmly in place. “Turles, what are you doing!?” Damn it, they were supposed to be acting like nothing happened, right!? What the hell!? “I can’t pretend like it didn’t happen when you’re touching me like that,” she whispered shyly, trying to pull away.

                Turles licked his lips at the scent of her light arousal and continued to carefully apply the ointment. “And it’s very difficult for my inner beast to pretend when you reek of my scent, woman. No,” he added quickly, when he sensed her intention to head for the bath, “don’t wash this medicine off just yet. Wait until tonight. Here, hold still and I’ll—“

                “No!” Usagi yelped, trying to yank herself out of the grasp of his tail when he began to lift her skirts. “I’ll get it, you really don’t need to—“ But he was already there, gently rubbing the ointment into her folds, and the little rushes of warmth and pleasure had her relaxing into him, whimpering softly in reaction when his fingers entered her to treat her insides. “Turles?” She asked weakly.

                “Relax, Rabbit… it’s totally normal to get aroused. Don’t be embarrassed.” He pulled away then and righted her dress, pecking her on the mouth as he released her. “See, that wasn’t so bad. It’ll have you healed up in no time.”

                “Thank you,” she whispered meekly, moving out of the way so he could wash his hands. The sight of his back—the entire reason she’d scurried out of his room—made her hiss and she stopped him from moving. “Your turn. Hold still, Turles.” Usagi didn’t need the ointment, she simply used her healing powers as she ran her fingers up and down the deep scratches she’d inflicted, blushing at the memory of how they’d gotten there.

                “Aw, and I sort of wanted to keep those as a trophy,” he snickered, turning to nip at the mark beneath her dress.

                That made her pull away and she regarded him nervously. “Turles… we can’t act like last night didn’t happen if you keep doing stuff like that.”

                Damn it, she was right, but his beast kept making him do these things, making him want to care for her and drag her back to his bed for another long round of mating. “It’s my inner Saiyan,” he sighed. “And the mark, too. Just… give me the contact, just for today? Alright? No mating, just contact, while I try to get a handle on my beast.”

                One day. One day wouldn’t hurt, right? Then a clean break tomorrow morning and they could go back to the way things were, like he wanted. Like they _should_. And she had to secretly admit that she liked this, craved this touching and familiarity. It was nothing like how it felt when Endymion had kissed her… it wasn’t just _nice_. It was hot and raw… and if she was being totally honest with herself, it made her feel like a woman. Not like some sweet, innocent, virginal princess up for auction to the highest bidder. And shit on her duties, she wanted _more_ of it.

                No sooner had she nodded, Turles kissed her; he’d heard her thoughts and despite how right she was about needing a clean break, he also wanted more of her. In spite of her innocence, he’d discovered how uninhibited she could be, how she wasn’t just a sweet, perfect little princess. She was only seventeen, but damn it if she wasn’t the sexiest woman he’d ever encountered… and he wanted all of her just to himself, wanted more and—no, damn it. It was just the fucking beast talking. It was the mark, that was all. Only a mark and a bond would ever make Turles want to totally surrender himself like he wanted to right then, to coax her into returning the bite, the consequences be damned.

                “Ok, better stop that,” Usagi whispered between slow, toe-curling kisses. His hands were getting a little too fresh and if they continued she’d wind up dragging him to her bed… or shoving him down on the kitchen tile.

                “Nah, you’re a little too sore for that, Rabbit. Even if we weren’t going to forget last night, I still wouldn’t take you until you were healed up. Now… what’s for breakfast?” He grinned when he realized what she had been slicing. “Fruit, huh? Thought you’d gotten your fill of it last night. And I thought you said there was nothing sweet left in the fridge.”

                “I found it under the vegetables… and now I don’t think I want it,” she grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Thanks for the reminder.”

                Turles grinned and picked up a slice of cantaloupe, sticking it between his teeth before closing the gap and spreading the juice over her lips with the other end. _Sure you don’t want it now?_ He purred through the half-bond. _There’s something waiting for you if you eat your way to the middle._

Usagi surprised herself with her next thought. _Alright, two can play this fucking game._ Smirking in a way that mirrored her older brother, she licked the end of the slice with only the very tip of her tongue several times, keeping her movements slow and sexy, just as she’d seen Minako do it. The princess of Venus swore that men loved nothing more than to watch a woman do something like that… why, Usagi had no idea and hadn’t asked, but it definitely seemed to get her cousin lots of dates. She was still smirking when she caught Turles’s eyes and found them simply black and wild, completely focused on the motions of her tongue, so she stepped it up a notch, kissing and sucking on the piece of cantaloupe.

Three seconds of that display passed, and the fruit was suddenly extracted from her lips and replaced with his, his tongue invading her mouth and his hands aggressively pushing her skirt up around her hips. She moaned softly the moment she felt her back pressed to the counter, and when he lifted her she couldn’t help but wrap herself around him, moving her hips in silent permission when he pressed against her still slightly sore entrance.

“It’s ok,” she whispered when he froze. “Don’t stop.”

The Saiyan pirate growled and purred at the same time upon hearing those words and nodded, clutching her possessively as he pushed forward and filled her slowly. “You’re sure, Rabbit?”

                “A little late to complain,” she replied as she drug her lips down his throat. “Gods… you feel wonderful, Turles…”

                “Good… don’t want to hurt you,” he breathed, pulling her mouth back to his own as he continued to move inside of her gently, his hands clutching at her hips tightly with every thrust, his soft groans of pleasure increasing in volume just as hers were. He’d meant to hold out longer, but the moment he felt her tighten around him he lost himself inside of her, his vision going white and his purr reaching a new level as she milked him slowly. “So much for not taking you again,” he sighed against her shoulder.

                “It’s alright,” Usagi sighed happily. “I wasn’t complaining. Is your beastie feeling a little better?”

                “No,” he snorted, “if anything he’s even worse.”

                “Oh… well… I know that Father sometimes just lets his reign supreme whenever it gets too out of hand. He says that sometimes a warrior needs to do that just to balance things out. Maybe if you—“

                “Noooo,” Turles groaned, shaking his head.

                Usagi sighed and rolled her eyes as he lowered her to her feet and helped her right her dress. “Just do it and if it gets too bad I’ll use my light like I do on Geta. Seriously, Turles. A Saiyan’s inner beast is something I’ve never been bothered by or afraid of in the least.”

                “I swear, woman… if you were a man, your balls would be bigger than mine,” Turles said in wonder. He nodded slightly when she shrugged, though. “If you’re sure and you think it’ll help… ok,” he agreed as he cut the leash and felt the beast begin to fully take over. He was frankly surprised when his beast began to purr once more and simply enfolded her tightly in his arms and tail, nuzzling and kissing her shoulder as he gently ran his fingertips up and down the exposed section of her back.

                “See? Not so bad once in a while, is it?” Usagi sighed, melting into him in total trust.

                “I thought he would be fucking you senseless, honestly.” He was surprised when she pulled away and gave him a slightly troubled look. “What, Rabbit?”

                “Can… can I ask what’s going to sound like a… a very stupid question? Without you laughing at me? Please?” Usagi asked nervously.

                Turles’s beast smirked at that and nodded slightly. “You can ask me anything, woman.”

                “You… before, you… you know.” Her face turned bright red and she focused on his boots. “You said a word I’d never heard. Sex. And… and just now… I’ve heard the word ‘fuck’ before, but that’s when Geta gets in one of his little swearing tirades and well… is… is that what we did? Or… am I… gods, I knew I should have just disobeyed Mother and asked Minako about men,” she sighed in total embarrassment. “I must seem like a complete and total idiot to you, I’m sorry.”

                “Shh, woman,” the beast whispered, raising her chin up to kiss her again. “Go sit in the main room and I’ll bring breakfast and explain things. You’re not stupid. Your mother is just a little too overprotective of you, that’s all.”

                Knowing that disobeying a Saiyan’s inner beast was a bad idea, Usagi did as she was told and waited patiently, grateful that they were still close enough to the moon for her to watch her favorite shows, flipping through channels nervously. And when Turles came in and set a tray in front of her and pulled her into his lap after taking a seat in the middle, Usagi turned her head and kissed him. “Forget I asked, ok? I… I’m just curious and—“

                “Woman, I popped your cherry. I don’t mind giving you the talk. It’s a little staggering that no one’s done it yet, but like I said, I don’t mind. Now eat while I explain.” He waited for her to start in on her breakfast before he nuzzled her shoulder. “Alright. The very first time was fucking. Rough and fast. But the rest was sex, I suppose. Except the last time and just now,” his beast continued slowly, trying his best to be thorough since she likely didn’t know anything about what went on with men and women except for her initiation into sex. “That, I suppose, is what your cousin would have called ‘making love.’ Slow and easy. And that’s about it, I guess.”

                “Mother says that there’s something married people do at night that’s private and—“

                “Yes,” he chuckled. “That’s sex. But you don’t have to be married for that. Hell, look at Raditz before he mated your sister.”

                “Oooooh… yeah, he _did_ have a lot of girlfriends when I was little,” Usagi realized out loud. “Hm… and last night you said I was in heat?”

                “It means you’re fertile, and the smell makes any Saiyan male a little crazy. We can smell it when you’re aroused, too. When a female wants to have sex,” he explained. “It sends out hormones, like when I swish my tail around. It lets us know you’re ready and willing to mate.”

                Usagi giggled and shook her head. “Wow, I’m learning an awful lot in one day. Thanks, Turles… for explaining it without making me feel dumb for not knowing.”

                He nibbled at her shoulder and grinned lecherously. “You know, woman… I wouldn’t mind teaching you a few more things. Unless you’re sore.”

                “A little,” she admitted shyly. “Sorry.”

                “Shh… don’t apologize, Rabbit. I’ll definitely get you later on.”

                Usagi giggled and shook her head in amazement, but then stopped as something occurred to her. “Turles? What’s fertile mean…? I mean, I know the definition of the word, but what does it mean that _I’m_ fertile?” She felt Turles stiffen behind her and slowly slid off of his lap and onto the couch so she could face him. “Turles… is this how babies are made?” She asked in total embarrassment. A slow nod was her answer and she worried at her lower lip. “I’m not… … …am I?”

                “No,” he said quickly, “you’re still in heat, woman.” Turles smiled a little when she let out a large whoosh of air and slumped back into the plush couch cushions. “Yeah, the thought of carrying my brat is probably more than daunting.”

                “No, the thought of what my father and Geta will do to you is even worse.” Usagi felt something at her lips and took a bite of the food he was offering when she opened her eyes. “I can feed myself, you know.”

                “I’m courting you, according to that mark, woman,” he growled out softly. “You’re mine and I need to make sure you eat.”

                Oh yeah, his beast was still in control; she’d forgotten about that. Usagi had also forgotten how downright bossy a Saiyan’s little monster could be, how domineering and possessive if she chose to rile it. So she sighed and ate, patiently letting him feed her, reflecting on times when she’d been sick and Geta or the king had done the same thing to her. “Aren’t you going to eat as well?” She asked softly, offering him a bite of fruit.

                The beast was in total control then as Turles’s personality and worries of beheading took a backseat, and he slowly locked eyes with what he fully considered his mate as he removed the morsel from her fingers with his teeth, chewed, swallowed, then moved back in to lick at her fingers. “You taste better than the fruit, woman.” He smirked around one pale digit as he sucked it into his mouth, chuckling at the sight of the blush coloring her cheeks. “If you weren’t so sore I’d taste all of you again,” he purred, leaning forward to flick his tongue over her lips. “In fact… I don’t think I was thorough enough in my sex education of a certain lovely princess… I think we might need some hands-on study later.”

                “Kay?” Usagi squeaked out nervously. “Um… Turles? Just today, alright? Like we agreed.” She watched him bare his teeth at her in annoyance before he leaned in again and bit down on her shoulder, tearing right through her dress and puncturing the skin. She melted into him immediately in response, moaning softly at the pleasure rushing through her body. “Turles…?”

                “Mine,” he growled as he yanked the cloth to the side and lowered his tongue to the mark. “And as soon as you’re healed, I’m going to fucking prove it, woman.”

                The panic in her eyes didn’t translate to her hands or her voice as she attempted to soothe him. “Shh… I’m not going anywhere, Turles. Calm down… I’m yours, ok?”

                “You’d better be.”

                “Turles, you’re scaring me a little, honey…” Usagi gave him the wide-eyed look that always worked on her brother whenever his beast got out of hand and apparently it had the same effect on the warrior pinning her to the couch. His eyes closed momentarily and he visibly relaxed before opening them again and kissing her.

                “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, Rabbit. Come here,” he ordered, reversing their positions so he was the one on his back and she was lying on top of him, being held carefully so she wouldn’t fall. “There. We’ll just be lazy this morning and watch that stupid box you like so much. Sound good?”

                Nuzzling his throat, Usagi sighed happily as she drew in his scent; wild and fresh like the oceans on Vegeta-sai. “Sounds wonderful.”

#######################################

                Usagi blushed when she opened her eyes to find the lighting in the room dimmer than she’d remembered; she must have dozed off while using him as a body pillow and—huh… she wasn’t on the couch anymore. Glancing around, she blushed an even deeper shade of red when she realized that she was in Turles’s bed… and completely naked beneath the covers. _Oh dear gods, I did not seriously sleep through him undressing me?_

“No, you woke a little, asked me what the fuck I was doing, then when I told you I was just getting you ready for bed you smiled and nodded off again. You also told me through the bond that you trusted me,” he added with a chuckle, his words barely audible over his purr.

                It was then that she felt a shifting on the mattress and a very naked Saiyan pressing against her from behind, her face turning red at the curious sensation of him hardening along the back of her thigh. “Beastie still in control…?”

                “Very much so, Rabbit,” he growled softly. “And you should be healed up by now. So… were you telling the truth?”

                “About?” She whispered, shivering as his tail began to trace down her spine and over her side. Then she felt his canines break the skin of her shoulder and moaned deliriously, instinctively rocking back into his groin. “About trust? Of course I trust you, Turles… I… I luh—um, gods, that feels so good,” she interrupted herself with a tiny moan when his teeth drove in a little deeper. Gods, had she really just almost said the L word…? To **_Turles_**!? The hell was wrong with her!?

                The bite. It was just the bite, had to be the bite and all those damned hormones and endorphins and pheromones flooding her system, making her feel wonderful, soft and compliant. And in love. “Why do you ask?”

                Turles’s beast didn’t mind one bit, but the part of his brain that had a lick of common sense was wondering if he’d heard what he just thought he had. Had she really almost said…? No, of course not. But damn it all, she was so fucking innocent that she just might think that she was… or worse; she was genuinely falling for him.

                _Oh, fuck it,_ his beast told him privately. _Your mate should love you, so what’s the problem?_

_She’s not my mate, damn it._

_Mmm… whatever you say. As the humans put it, ‘denial’s not a river in Egypt.’ And I don’t know about you… but she’s awfully naked right now… and almost as aroused as we are. Don’t you want her?_

_Of course I do, dumbass._

_Then shut up and fucking take her, already._

Usagi felt him pressing his entry from behind and made a small sound of discomfort at the invasion, immediately grateful when he stopped. “Sorry, I… it just hurts a little.”

                “Hm… we just need to warm you up, that’s all.”

                She relaxed into him and sighed as she felt his tail playing with her clit, but forgot about the bond when she wished silently that he could kiss her at that angle.

                “Ah, so now I finally know what you like,” Turles purred as he withdrew from her and repositioned himself so that he was on top of her. “You liked to be kissed, my naughty little Rabbit?”

                “Just by you,” she replied honestly.

                “Heh… that’s because I’m not some little prince from Earth,” he breathed knowingly in her ear. “That’s the difference between kissing that stupid little boy… and kissing a grown man, little rabbit.” He expected her to protest the insult to Endymion, but when her eyes became troubled and a little fearful and glanced away, Turles frowned. “That’s why your brother demanded your presence on Vegeta-sai,” he guessed. “Why you needed to leave so quickly that you couldn’t wait for Raditz to come get you.”

                “He… um… he tried to kind of… um…” Usagi licked her lips and looked away. “Kidnap me,” she finished. “But Broly stopped him and Geta arranged to get me out that very night.” She looked back up at him then, her blue eyes filled with emotion. “I never thanked you for taking me with you on such short notice, Turles. I… I don’t love him, like Mother would like to think. Geta… he had a very hard time convincing her that we weren’t just eloping, that I hadn’t consented to such a thing. I know she wants me to marry Endymion before I assume the throne in June, but… I don’t want him.”

                “Why? He’s a prince, isn’t he?” Turles’s beast slapped him for asking such a question and reminded him to focus on more important things… like taking her, but the pirate wasn’t hearing a word of it. He was honestly curious; why in the hell was she in his bed and not in the prince’s? Last night had been a freak accident, as far as he was concerned, but yet again, here they were.

                “He’s mean. He picks on me. And not like you guys do, either. I know that you and your brothers are just joking, the same way I know that Geta is. But Endymion… I know he doesn’t even like me. He’s just trying to marry me for my crown, and for the access he’ll gain to the Saiyan army. And I could accept that if he was at least kind to me, but… he’s not,” she sighed.

Not like Turles was, despite his rough exterior. He seemed like such an asshole, cold and aloof for nearly all the years she’d known him, but in the past she’d seen many glimpses of the warmth and kindness she’d been privy to since the night before. Last night had only clinched her secret belief of how sweet he was down deep. “Turles…? Are we going to keep talking about Endymion, or are you going to make love to me?”

 _See, that’s what **I** was saying, _ his beast snickered. “Is that what you want?” He purred aloud, bending his head to nip at her shoulder. “Nice and slow, baby?”

“Is that alright?” She asked nervously. “I mean, if you want—“

“I want what you want,” he breathed in her ear. “So long as I get you in the process.” Turles moaned when she looked up at him a little nervously with those big blue eyes, but she still hooked a leg around one of his, drawing him down to herself as she raised her hips in a silent offer. His beast didn’t take her right away; he merely turned his head and captured her lips in a slow, leisurely kiss, flicking her mouth open with his tongue after several minutes of getting her hot and aroused. And then he was kissing her in earnest, drawing moan after moan from her throat as he teased her slit with the head of his cock, only pressing his entry once she began to rock upwards demandingly and dig her nails into his back. “Impatient woman,” he chuckled darkly as he filled her slowly.

Usagi’s head rolled back in submission and she clutched at him and moaned loudly at the very first thrust. “Dear gods… Turles…”

“Are you going to come for me so soon, baby?” Turles’s purr got louder when she nodded helplessly and pulled him down for another passionate, toe-curling kiss, her voice in his head whispering, begging him not to stop, to let her take her pleasure. _Come for me, moon goddess,_ he replied through the bond as he continued to take her gently, groaning aloud as he felt her tightening around him and she moaned his name.

Gods, it was like she was made for him, the way she kept moaning his name, taking him to the brink of oblivion as she came over and over again, making him exert every last ounce of self-control he possessed to stop himself from coming so soon. At least, until he heard her through the bond, begging him to take his own pleasure, whispering softly that she wanted him to come with her, just as she was spiraling upwards yet again.

He lost it then, groaning her name against her lips as he emptied himself inside of her, her own climax locking him deep within her as she tightened even harder than the last time. “Damn it, Rabbit… you’re like a fucking drug that I can’t quit… as bad as that fucking fruit…” He confessed between kisses, giving her a thrust here and there just to make her squirm and whimper for more. “So…?” He finally asked, trying his very best to ignore the way she was brushing the tip of her nose over his shoulder, followed by a soft pressing of her mouth. Damn it, he wanted her to bite him back so badly that it was starting to ache.

“Hm?”

“Last night… when I asked you about being dominated…? Do you trust me, Rabbit?” Turles grinned when she just blinked up at him and blushed at the memory. “You’re into kissing… and I’m really into being in total control,” he explained. “I also like playing games, but we may not have time for that before dawn.”

Usagi knew without a doubt that he would never hurt her, so she gave him a little nod. “If that’s what you want to do… but what do you mean, games?”

Turles chuckled and sagged on top of her. Ah, such a sweet little thing she was, and he was going to utterly corrupt her in the span of only two nights. “Roleplaying, stuff like that.”

“Oh. Like… pretending to be someone else?” She asked. When he nodded, she giggled. “I’m an abysmal actress, just ask Minako. She says it’s because I don’t know how to lie, that my inability to do so makes it impossible for me to be in character.”

He lifted a single eyebrow and shook his head as he traced his fingers idly over a nipple. “Oh, it wouldn’t be that hard, Rabbit. I was thinking of something along the lines of you being an innocent, beautiful princess… and you’d just been captured by a big, bad, sexy, horny as hell space pirate. And that pirate…” He sunk his teeth into her mark once more and groaned at the taste of her. “…is going to ravish you to within an inch of your life.”

Making a sound of pleasure, Usagi bit down on her lower lip and tried to think; he’d done everything to make her happy that night, to make her feel good, and she would be more than happy to do the same for him, so… “Ok, then. So let me up.”

“Huh?”

His blank expression made her chuckle and she kissed his blood-stained lips. “Well, if the sexy, horny pirate has to capture the princess, I’d better start running, right?”

“NO!” Turles snapped out, immediately pinning her back down.

 _YES!_ His beast yelled just as loudly in only his mind, suddenly warring with him for control.

Trembling slightly, wondering what she’d done to make him so angry, Usagi looked up at him in confusion. “Turles…? Did I say something wrong?”

“Ok, I know how damned innocent you are, Usa, but you seriously don’t know what the chase is after growing up in a half Saiyan household?”

“I didn’t realize it had anything to do with sex until I thought about some things this morning… and I’m telling you, an awful lot of things about my father and brother make a lot of sense, now… but yes, I know what the chase is. Why are you mad at me? You’ve already marked me and I thought that maybe you’d like to—“

“I could hurt you,” Turles ground out. “You’re not worried about that at all?” The way her eyes softened and she shook her head filled him with wonder; he’d never had a woman regard him with such a downright lack of fear in his entire life.

“I trust you,” she answered simply and truthfully, using some of her strength and power to get out from under him and yank on the dress she’d worn that morning. “I guess this would be a good time to try out the new powers that Mother’s been giving me to get me used to having them before my eighteen birthday,” she giggled. But wait, she hadn’t initiated the chase yet, had she…? And he wasn’t exactly trying to force himself on her so she could run and it would be implied… what was it that her mother had told her father that one day that had gotten him so riled…? Ah, yes. “Catch me if you can,” she giggled before teleporting.

In what could only be a stare of simple shock, Turles stared at the spot where she’d been standing only moments ago and felt a dark shiver run through him. “Did she just…?”

His beast snapped into total control then and growled as he licked his lips and stood. “Yes… she did… and now she’s _mine_ , damn it.”

##############################

                Usagi dared to check on him through the half-bond, and the swirling mass of lust, frustration and possessive anger she found made her shiver. “Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea,” she whispered to herself as she wove through the engine room, always careful not to touch anything. It was one of the many places he’d forbidden her from entering, but it was also the largest part of the ship and the easiest to hide in. “Oh, who am I kidding? He’s like a big teddy bear, he’d never hurt me. He might get a little rough, but I know that Turles wouldn’t harm a hair on my blonde head.”

                She jumped at the sound of a crash from the other end of the room and knew he’d slammed open the metal door that led within. “I know you’re in here, Rabbit. I’ve only checked every other room, and I’m not even cheating by using the bond… that would be unfair since it’s your first chase,” Turles’s beast chuckled darkly. “I want you to think you have a ghost of a chance, after all.”

                _What if I don’t want one?_ She whispered in his mind, unaware of how sexy she sounded to him just then, how the taste of anticipation in her voice made him ache to bury himself inside of her. Usagi was just thinking about teleporting once more to really draw the chase out when she was suddenly slammed against a wall and a hand was tearing at her clothing, throwing scraps of it to the floor haphazardly. She squealed in surprise and couldn’t help but struggle a bit, but the moment she nearly got free she felt a rush of pleasure at her shoulder and heard him growling at her in the dark.

                “Mine!” He snarled as soon as his mouth released her. He turned her then and pressed her to a piece of equipment, bending her over it face-first as he drove inside of her and began to purr in reaction to how wet she was. “That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it, little princess?” He whispered in her ear as he began to move lazily. Even his beast was wary of possibly hurting her, and wouldn’t take her any harder than he currently was. “To be claimed by the nasty space pirate?” When she only moaned and arched backwards into him he stopped and nipped at her mark. “Tell me, little princess. Is this what you wanted?”

                “No,” she whimpered; she tried to use the metal below her for leverage but found her arms pinned in place and actually growled a little in frustration.

                “Well… then what is it you want, woman? I thought you wanted to be taken by a sexy space pirate?”

                “I do,” she moaned when he moved a little bit, beginning to slide in and out of her in a slow, gentle rhythm. “But this isn’t… isn’t _taking_ me…” She felt his immediate arousal through the bond and heard his beast purring with delight, and decided to stay in character… after all, it wasn’t that much of a stretch. “This isn’t what I want,” she whispered softly, turning her head to give him a look of her big, blue eyes. “I want you to fuck me, Turles,” she breathed up at him.

                _I think I just died and went to heaven,_ his beast sighed happily as it locked eyes with her, nodded, and slammed into her forcefully, making her yell his name and clench around his cock. “That’s it, my naughty, dirty little princess,” he groaned as he took her hard and fast, his eyes rolling back as she continued to come explosively, moaning and yelling her pleasure loudly, her voice echoing throughout the engine room. “Is this what you wanted? To be fucked hard by a Saiyan pirate? To make you completely mine?”

                “YES!” She shouted, unable to stop her body from moving in time with his as he thrust into her even harder, bending over her to kiss and lick his way up her spine to the back of her neck, where his teeth pinned her in place. “Please don’t stop, Turles! I’m yours! Completely yours!”

                He groaned at the admission, his entire body vibrating in a ridiculously loud purr as he moved his lips to her shoulder and sunk his teeth in with a savagery he’d spared her from so far, erupting inside of her with a snarl of total domination.

                Usagi whimpered and slumped on top of the cooling unit, panting for air when he suddenly released her arms. “Wish you hadn’t stopped… that was… so awesome…”

                Turles laughed loudly at that and nuzzled his face into her messy, unbound hair, his chest still sounding like a lawnmower in his delight. “Awesome doesn’t even begin to describe it, Rabbit… gods, if we weren’t ending this in the morning, the things I’d do to you all day long tomorrow…”

                She nearly blurted out that they didn’t have to end it, that they could continue to have earth-shaking sex for the remainder of the next six weeks, but Usagi bit down on her tongue as he turned her over and gazed down at her with a soft look in his eyes. Her hand instinctively reached up to trace his jawline, trailing up to caress his lips, and she sighed in disappointment, wishing with all her heart that she wasn’t a princess, that she wasn’t the only living heir to the Moon Kingdom, that her brother wasn’t the all-powerful Prince of the Saiyans and her father their king. If she was simply a common woman she could just—

                “Rabbit? You ok?” Turles asked gently, kissing the crescent moon on her forehead. For a moment there, it had looked like she was going to cry, and if she started doing that, Turles would wind up taking her for his mate. He could hear her thoughts and wondered if she knew that she wasn’t blocking him out; she was thinking of running away with him, telling him to turn the ship around and head for the Southern Quadrant, where her family would have no jurisdiction and couldn’t hunt for her as freely as they could in the Eastern. “Come on, Rabbit,” he sighed when she looked away and wouldn’t answer him. “I’ve worn you out and you need some more rest.”

                Hopefully a good night’s sleep would clear her head before she did or said something stupid… and hopefully it would clear such treasonous thoughts from his own as well.


	3. Chapter 3

Unlike his reaction the morning before, Turles woke to find a beautiful, naked, peaceful-looking moon princess in his arms… and sighed in utter disappointment. _Fuck Vegeta. Fuck her mother and father. Fuck her duties, and fuck my honor. Fuck all of it. I should just turn this fucking ship around and fly off to somewhere that they’d never, ever find us._

“Stop thinking,” Usagi muttered into his chest, snuggling closer and sighing in contentment as his tail tightened around her and he began to purr softly. “It’s like a buzzing in the back of my mind when you’re trying not to let me hear your thoughts, you know.”

                “It’s almost dawn back home,” he whispered.

                The disappointment dripping from his voice woke her a little more and she opened her eyes to regard him seriously. Did he not want to break it off…? No, she was out of her mind, of _course_ he wanted to break it off. “I’ll go then,” she sighed.

                “No,” he grunted immediately.

                Usagi licked her lips at that and nodded, once more relaxing into him as she buried her face in his muscular chest and traced the definition of his rippling stomach with her fingertips, wishing that she’d taken the time to satisfy her curiosity about a man’s body. She wanted to ask him to hold still and let her explore him a little bit… but no, that would be awfully forward, especially since they had less than an hour left before they got up for the day and pretended like nothing had happened between them.

                They laid there in silence, simply holding each other, staying out of each other’s minds despite the fact that they were unknowingly sharing the exact same train of thought. Then the artificial lighting began to kick in and the room brightened just a little, signaling the beginning of a new day on Vegeta-sai, and Usagi felt like crying.

                “One kiss for the road?” Turles asked knowingly, feeling much the same as she.

                Gods, she wanted nothing more than to say yes to that, but if she did… if she did, she would wind up begging him to make love to her again, and something told her that that would be the end of any resistance that she could manage; that they’d never break it off, that she would wind up calling her mother and confessing everything and—no, she was getting way too far ahead of herself. She’d never let that happen. Her father and Geta would kill Turles if they ever found out about any of this.

                That strengthened her resolve, and while she leaned up to press her lips to his gently, she followed up with sliding out of the bed and getting her things. “I’ll go make something for breakfast, then.”

                Turles nodded slightly, glad that he was a pro in hiding his true feelings. “I’ll be training in the gravity room if you need anything, woman.”

##############################

                That first day passed a lot better than either of them could have hoped for; both of them simply just stayed out of the other’s way, only saw each other at supper, and didn’t even talk during the entire meal. They both kept looking at each other discreetly, though, stealing glances whenever they were sure that the object of their study wouldn’t catch them at it.

                The real trouble started at bedtime, and both of them tossed and turned and cursed into their pillows at their inability to sleep. Usagi was the first to reach out through the bond, practically sobbing in her exhaustion. _Turles, why can’t I sleep?_

_It’s because of the stupid fucking bond, sweetheart. Don’t feel bad, I can’t, either._

_How do we make it stop?_ She whined. No reply came, and she was about to climb out of the bed when her door opened and Turles strode in naked, carrying his pillow.

                “You can’t come in my room,” he grunted. “If you cross the threshold, I won’t be able to stop my beast from taking you,” he explained. “Here. Switch pillows with me; it’ll help both of us.”

                “Oh. Glad you said something… I was just about to come in there,” she replied, unable to stop herself from feeling a flutter in her stomach at the sight of all those yummy muscles moving beneath that bare, tanned skin. She took his pillow, though and handed her own over, her eyes widening at the immediate wash of relaxation running through her as she laid her head down on it and drew in his wild scent. “Yeah… that definitely helps,” she yawned, stretching and rolling onto her stomach to bury her nose in it.

                Turles looked down and grimaced at the sight of her pillow. “It’s _pink_ , woman. Seriously?”

                “I’d be more than happy to take it back and—“

                “No,” he growled out in annoyance, “this is fine. But frankly, the only thing I ever enjoy of this color is between your legs, Rabbit.” With that he turned around and stomped back to his room, where he laid down and passed out the moment her scent filled his nose.

                The next morning started late, and neither of them commented on the previous night, though both of them continued to look at each other whenever they thought the other wouldn’t catch them at it. That day went smoothly as well, and even the one after it.

                The real trouble began on the fourth day after they’d broken things off… when Usagi’s bite mark fully closed. 

                They both woke from an overpoweringly realistic dream of Turles seducing the hell out of her in the living room, and in it, Usagi had eagerly given in and begged him to make love to her, to take her, to fuck her and make her his. And then just as they’d both woken, Turles had bent his mouth to her mark and had offered his shoulder in turn.

                “You ok?” Usagi sighed when Turles came into the kitchen, fully dressed and clearly not rested. Funny, she was in the exact same boat. “Here, drink this,” she offered gently, unable to stop herself from giving his hand a little squeeze after she set the strong cup of coffee in front of him.

                “Thanks,” he sighed, choosing not to utter a word about the vivid dream he’d had about taking her as his mate. “Rabbit… what in the hell are you doing?”

                “Dishes,” she said with a shrug. “Why?” She asked as she washed the pans from supper the night before. Then it dawned on her as she turned to find him staring, and she gave him a little shrug. “Just because I’ve never done them before doesn’t mean I don’t know how,” she offered shyly. “You look tired. I’ll get the chores for this morning.”

                Never mind that she was just as exhausted as he; but she found herself wanting to do something to please him, wanting to make him happy, and then he would— _I am not in love with him,_ she sighed to herself, setting the clean pan onto the towel on the counter. Dear gods, she’d only been catching herself having thoughts of marrying him and running off into the proverbial sunset for the last two days, and this morning it only seemed worse. She wanted to turn around and kiss him, talk him into taking her to his bed again, and then maybe he’d bury his teeth in her shoulder again and this internal burning she felt would fade away.

                “Stop that,” Turles said with a shiver as she unconsciously reached up to cover her shoulder with her hand. “It calls me to you, Rabbit.” Never mind that the summons was faint, proving that the mating bond was finally beginning to wear off a little as the mark healed.

                “Oh, sorry.” Usagi immediately removed her hand despite the ache it caused in her shoulder, and she gasped as that throbbing wandered between her legs. “Turles…? Is… is that normal?” She whimpered, trying not to move when a slight shift in her weight made her want to reach down and touch herself. Gods, this wasn’t quite as bad as the effect of the fruit, but it was close!

                Slamming the door shut on his roaring beast, Turles merely grunted and shook his head. “I don’t know.” He hated to leave her like that, but the scent of her arousal filling the air had his cock hardening in his pants and he needed to vacate the premises immediately. “I’ll be in the gravity room,” he told her as he strode out.

                An hour later he felt a yanking pressure inside of his mind and opened the bond to find her still sexually frustrated and close to tears. _Rabbit, stop touching the mark,_ he growled.

                _Please help me,_ she begged, _please, Turles… it’s, it’s so overwhelming, and it won’t go away. I’ve even tried touching myself and it won’t **stop**._

Turles shook his head and growled at his beast when it began to break the cage he had it secured in. “Cut it out,” he ordered dangerously.

                _Fuck you. She’s our mate and she’s begging for us to come and fuck her. What kind of man are you?_

“A smart one that doesn’t want to wind up beheaded in five and a half weeks. Calm your tits, we’re not going anywhere.” Turles slammed the door on his beast yet again and blocked out Usagi, ignoring the summons as she touched her mark again somewhere on the other side of the ship. “Ok, damn it… ok… I’ve got this.”

                Donning his scouter, he called the one person he could, and prayed to the gods that his brother would have answers and not blab to everyone about the subject matter later. “Raditz. I need you help with a very private matter. No one can know about it. No one. Not even Rei.”

                “Well, hello to you, too,” Raditz snorted. “Usually I receive some form of greeting before being ordered around like a Saibaman.”

                “Sorry. Hi. I fucked the princess five days ago and now she’s horny as hell but we’re trying to let the bond fade and go back to normal. Advice?” The look of utter and complete shock on Raditz’s face actually brought a mean little smile to Turles’s lips. “You’re drooling, brother.”

                “Please tell me you’re joking,” he whispered after a full minute of just staring at his father’s look-alike. Turles immediately facepalmed when Raditz grinned and yelled, “THAT’S MY BOY! I KNEW YOU HAD IT IN YOU! YOU LUCKY FUCKIN’ DOG!” And then, with the same grin on his face, “you do realize that her brother is going to saw off your nuts and hang them on display in the throne room, right? I mean, me taking Rei was one thing… but his precious little Rabbit? Oh dear gods, the humanity… he is going to use your guts for garters.”

                “My point exactly, and now I need—“ Turles grimaced and drew blood as he bit down on his lower lip, using the pain to distract him from Usagi summoning him again, her pleas for help bleeding through a crack in the closing bond. “Gods, she’s calling me again. She’s really in a bad way right now, Raditz. Please help me out. Help _her_ out.”

                “Bite her, mate her, make her happy,” Raditz said with a shrug. Immediately he grinned again and sighed happily. “Tell you what, Turley, it is simply _liberating_ to know that I’ll no longer be at the top of Vegeta’s shitlist. Did you know that he was in talks for a betrothal to Broly for her?” Judging from Turles’s pale complexion and slack jaw, he hadn’t a clue. “Oh well, a little late for that. So… should I break the news to our dear prince and perhaps give him some time to get used to the idea? Huh… or that could just give him time to come up with a very creative punishment…” He muttered.

                “Don’t you dare tell anyone. And I need a second option. I can’t mate with the princess, Raditz. You know that. I know that Saiyans sometimes dissolve the half-bond, so tell me how.”

                “You ever know one that has?” Raditz asked incredulously. When Turles shook his head, he continued. “That’s because it like… _never_ happens, baby brother. It’s just too fucking hard. Especially if she wants you.” He sighed sympathetically when Turles grimaced and trembled a little; Usagi was obviously calling him again. “You have a choice, Turley. You can go to her and relieve her suffering… and biting her is the only thing that will really do it. Or you can make her not want you anymore.”

                “And just how do I do that?” Turles asked.

                “Make her hate you. Break her heart.” Raditz frowned at that and looked away for a moment; he loved Usagi just as much as Rei and Vegeta, but Turles was his brother and he didn’t want to see him beheaded, either. “She’s tender-hearted as hell. It shouldn’t be hard.”

                He knew exactly what he could do, but Turles shook his head vehemently. “No. I won’t do that to her, Raddy. I care about her.”

                “Then go get her off… and if you won’t bite her, you’re in for a long ordeal until that mark fully heals.” Click.

                Putting his scouter away, Turles exited the gravity room and immediately went to the main living quarters, where he found a flushed, sweaty and highly aroused moon princess crying on the couch. “Come on, sweetheart,” he sighed as he walked over and scooped her into his arms. “Just don’t let me bite you, ok? I’ll give you what you need,” he breathed against her mouth just before she leaned up and kissed him with all the need she felt for him, clinging to him tightly as he deposited her on her own bed.

                “Please, Turles… please make love to me… I’m burning up almost as bad as the first night… I need you now,” she begged as she yanked his tank top over his head and began to unfasten his pants.

                He merely nodded before coming back down on top of her, his mouth silencing her desperate pleas for relief as he invaded her mouth with his tongue, exploring every bit of that sweet cavern as he could while he stripped her of her clothing and slipped his hand between her legs. “Come for me,” he finally ordered, his mouth dragging down her throat and to her breasts to suckle her as she cried out and clutched at him tightly. “That’s it,” he groaned, purring in approval as she finally moaned his name, tightened around the two fingers inside of her, then slumped onto the bed, limp as a wet noodle.

                “Don’t… stop…” She panted. “Please, Turles… need you… need you now…” Usagi leaned up to kiss him again, wrapping her legs around his waist to coax him back down to her when he seemed to stiffen and hesitate. “Please,” she whispered seductively, reaching down to stroke his aching arousal. “I…I love you, Turles… please don’t stop…”

                His beast completely overrode him at the sound of her confession, reversing his position with Turles for once as he slammed the door on him and purred with pleasure, wrapping his arms around his woman and entering her slowly. “Mine,” he breathed into her hair as he sank into her. “My Usagi… my mate…”

                “Yours,” she confirmed, giving his shoulder a slow, open-mouthed kiss despite his earlier request to not let him bite her. “I love you,” she whispered again as he began to move inside of her slowly, gently taking her with nothing but love in the motions of his body. “Love you so much, Turles…” Her eyes rolled back as she felt him suddenly stiffen in her arms and he groaned her name in a way that made him sound helpless, and when he spilled his seed inside of her it spurred on her own strong, overwhelming climax. “I’m yours,” she whispered in his ear. “If… if you want to… to mark me again… I don’t mind,” she offered shakily, knowing what it would entail.

                If he did that, she would mark him in turn, making them mates… her family’s reaction be damned. But he was suddenly stiffening again, and it wasn’t with pleasure. Was that… anger? “Turles?”

                “I shouldn’t have done this,” he ground through his teeth, rolling out of the bed to hurriedly yank on his clothing. “Little fucker nearly bit you and—“

                “Turles… I don’t mind,” she protested softly, sitting up to pull at his arm. “I’ve been denying it for days, but… I meant what I said.” Usagi’s face turned beet red as he scowled down at her, his eyes flashing with an emotion she wasn’t used to seeing out of him. More anger. “Turles…? Please… please don’t be mad at me, I—“

                “You don’t know what you’re saying, Usagi. You don’t love me. It’s just the stupid fucking bond.” The hurt look on her face nearly made him relent, but he ignored his beast and continued. “This won’t happen again, Usa. Stay away from me.”

                “But… but Turles… I… I **_do_** love you,” she protested in a whisper.

                Already on his way out the door, Turles froze and growled softly as he turned back around. “No, you don’t, Usagi! You’re just a little girl that doesn’t know anything about sex, love or mating! Until five days ago you’d never even gotten off! So stop saying that and **_grow the fuck up_**!”

                Even through the walls, he could hear her crying, and Turles slammed his own door behind him and immediately sagged to the floor, shaking with the strain it required not to hop back up and apologize to her. “Sorry, Rabbit… so sorry,” he whispered, his voice quaking with emotion. “But… but we can’t… **_I_** can’t… I simply can’t be that man for you…”

############################

                He didn’t see her again for over a week; Usagi stayed in her room, but he knew she was coming out to eat by the third day when he found clean dishes stacked that he hadn’t washed. She must have been coming out whenever he was sleeping, since he hadn’t once sensed her ki in the kitchen whenever he was in the gravity room. He was glad that she’d finally ventured out for food, though, since his beast had been gnawing at the prison bars, insisting that he take her something if he was going to continue to be the ultimate douchebag of the universe.

                When he finally saw her again, he was walking out of the gravity room, covered in sweat, but still not mentally exhausted enough to satisfy him. Turles had done a lot of beating himself up in his own head—his beast hadn’t even needed to help him with that—and the only thing that seemed to shut himself up was complete, sheer exhaustion. “Rabbit?” He whispered upon finding her sitting on the couch, reading a book, wearing the sparring clothing that Saiyan women usually adorned.

                Despite the brief look of longing in her eyes, followed by pain and grief, Turles’s beast was drooling at the sight of her in a sports bra and tight workout shorts. “What are you wearing?”

                Usagi declined to answer and merely stood and strode right past him into the gravity room, slamming the door behind her forcefully before she locked it with a loud click.

                Turles had no clue what she was doing in there, but he heard a lot of yelling and thumping and when he heard a crash and a sharp yelp of pain he inwardly cursed her name as he leapt out of his seat and ran to the door. He broke the lock in an instant and voice-ordered the computer to shut down the gravity before lifting the heavy bag off of her leg, ignoring the way she was yelling at him in Lunarian and shoving at him in a clear command to go away and leave her alone. “SHUT UP!” He finally snapped out, pushing her onto her back and pinning her arms to her side. “I swear by all the gods that I will break your fucking neck if you try and move that leg one more time. Do you understand me, woman?”

                A curse in that language he didn’t understand hissed out from between her teeth and he merely waited for her to finish before replying softly, “don’t you dare move, woman. I will make your life a living hell if you do.”

                “You already have!” She snapped right back, shoving at him again and successfully knocking him on his ass with a small blast of ki. Usagi climbed to her feet then, ignoring the throbbing in her lower leg as she hobbled past him. “Do _not_ fucking **_touch_** me!” She shouted when she felt his hand on her shoulder, immediately swatting it away. But then her leg gave out, collapsing beneath her, and she cried out in pain… but didn’t hit the floor.

Turles had caught her and was swinging her up into his arms, cradling her gently as he strode from the gravity room. “The fuck were you doing in there anyway?”

“Pretending the punching bag was your face,” she hissed out, arms crossed defiantly as she stubbornly looked away from him. “I busted it open with a ki blast and it landed on the gravity controls and then fell on my fucking leg. Now put me down and go the fuck away before I give you the same treatment I gave it.”

“Silly Rabbit. Shut up,” Turles’s beast snorted as he sat her down on his own bed and removed a med kit from his nightstand. “It’s just sprained,” he said after giving it a quick once-over. “Seen plenty of them in training. Hold still and I’ll wrap it.”

“No,” she stated flatly, pushing herself back up onto her feet. “I don’t want to be in here, and I don’t want any help from _you_. Now leave me alone; another male shouldn’t be touching another warrior’s intended anyway,” she added after a long moment of them locking eyes.

Turles was suddenly thrown in the cage again as his beast assumed total control. “Excuse me?” He asked softly, his ki level rising dangerously in his steadily growing rage.

“Vegeta and I spoke yesterday on the scouter. He’s betrothing me to Broly. It’s a good match,” she sighed. “And at least he’s always been _nice_ to me,” she added nastily as she tried to shove her way past him.

Turles immediately grabbed her and forcibly sat her back down on the bed, ignoring her kicking and punching and swearing as he wrestled her onto her back. “You will lie still, woman. And you will let me treat that leg. And then you and I are going to have a little chat while I’ve got Turles firmly locked away. Understand me?”

“Oh, I understand,” she growled in reply. “And I fucking hate you.” She didn’t take it back when the purest anger and hurt flickered in his eyes for a brief moment before she shoved at him again in vain. “Now let me up and out of here. Right now.”

“Take it back, woman. You don’t hate me. You’re so full of shit that your eyes are turning brown.”

“Don’t presume to tell me what I do and don’t feel, asshole. First I don’t love you. _Now_ I don’t hate you. Why don’t you just make up your fucking mind already!? Which is it you want Turles!? Because I’m telling you right now, you can’t have anything in-between at this point! Not after the way you’ve made me cry my eyes out for the last week over you, not after the way you broke my fucking heart! _Now get the fuck off of me_!”

The utter venom in her voice snapped Turles back into control and he let her sit up, backing off a little as he processed the new information. It was his fault, this betrothal to Broly. He’d filled Raditz in on everything three days ago… and his brother must have pushed Vegeta to go ahead with the arrangements for their sister’s marriage. “Have you spoken with Broly?” He asked softly, averting his gaze from her tear-filled eyes. “Is this what you want?”

“Yes. And for the record, he won’t kill you. He knows because I won’t have any untruths between myself and my future husband and king. But he’s ok with it so long as I stay away from you. And you know how unstable his beast can be, so advise you to fuck off.”

“You didn’t answer the second question, woman. Do you want this?”

The fire in his eyes only lit her own, and Usagi stood and glared at him despite the wobble to her stance. “What is it to you, huh? You told me to grow the fuck up, Turles. So I _did_. Now I suggest that you do the same.”

And with that, she walked out slowly, slamming his door behind her.

####################################

“So, it’s official, then? She’s been set to mate with Broly?” Turles snapped out into his scouter.

“Hi, brother. Nice to see you. So glad you had the time to take my call while your mate was going down on you and you were on the verge of coming,” Raditz growled right back.

“Oh, please! I know you gave Rei a courtesy tap, came, and grabbed the scouter because you recognized that annoying fast beep as my scouter signal!”

“Damn it, you know me too well,” Raditz grumbled, but it wasn’t without a smirk. “Hang on, my little firebug, I’ll take care of you as soon as my mouth isn’t otherwise occu—oh, yeah, I guess my tail’s not busy,” he purred to Rei off screen. A soft moan was heard after a moment, and Raditz finally locked eyes on his brother’s face again as the sounds of Rei’s pleasure continued in the background. “So, she told you? I’m assuming during a very loud, messy argument?”

“Something like that. And I’m positive you had something to fucking do with it. Why in the hell would you do that!?”

Raditz blinked, looked away for a moment and grinned just as a loud cry was heard coming from Rei’s mouth. “Better, _r’sha_? Heh… ok, then… one more while I wrap this up, ok? Ok, fine… you’re right. Turles could rant for hours, I’m sure. Lie back and hush and I’ll make sure you don’t regret it. Ok, I’m back, sorry,” he sighed to his brother, just as a whimper came from the princess of Mars. “My little firebug is sort of in heat right now, so…”

“Honestly, I envy your ability to multitask,” Turles grumbled. “Now explain.”

“You broke her fucking heart, Turley! What was I supposed to do!? You took her virginity, told her she was a fucking child, and she cried for what? A straight fucking week about it? I did what needed to be done. Usa’s spoken to Broly, he’s aware of the fact she’s no longer innocent, and being her best friend since they were in diapers, he’s willing to overlook that. He’s also _not_ going to kick your ass when you dock. You can thank her for that when you decide to quit with your epic level of jackassery.”

“Usagi asked him not to kick my ass?” Turles asked incredulously. If anything, he would have expected quite the opposite.

“ ** _Begged_** , is more like it.” Raditz glanced over and grinned as a sharp cry was heard. “Again, beautiful? Hot damn, I’m on a roll tonight. Keep on coming for me, _r’sha_.”

“She actually begged him.”

“Yup. And she agreed to pair-bond with him the same day she lands, too. Wipe that jealous look off your face, Turley. You had your fucking chance with her. You could have bitten her… hell, you _should_ have bitten her when she said she loved you, but you missed your chance. Now she probably fucking hates you anyway, so what’s the point?”

“She said as much,” Turles muttered a little sadly. “But I don’t believe her.”

Raditz sighed and a sound of protest was heard from Rei as he apparently stopped whatever he was doing to her with his tail. “Hang on, Rei. Just a minute. Now… look, Turley. As your big brother, I’m going to tell you this one time. If you want her, too bad. She’s engaged to Broly now, and you know how he gets when he’s angry… _especially_ when someone fucks with his little moonbeam. I suggest you just try and be nice to her, maybe be her friend if you want… but I highly advise that you stay away from her snatch now that Broly’s practically got his name tattooed on it.”

“Whatever you say.” Click.

##############################

“Moonbeam?”

Usagi smiled at the sound of that low, gravelly voice that so few people heard other than herself and shrugged a little sadly. “Hey, Broly.”

“Sure you don’t want me to kill him when you land?” He growled.

“I’m sure,” she sighed. “And maybe… I know it’s just wishful thinking, but if it all goes according to plan… maybe you won’t have to. Maybe you’ll have to keep Vegeta from killing him.” Usagi rolled onto her back and sighed again as she fluffed her hair and thought. “You sure you’re cool with this?”

Broly merely shrugged and grunted in his usual form of communication, then chewed on his lower lip for a moment. “You know, Usa… if it doesn’t work out… I wouldn’t mind marrying you. If you want to, anyway.”

Usagi blinked in surprise and looked at him with deep worry. “Broly?”

The Super Saiyan backpedaled quickly, panic lighting his eyes. “That came out wrong,” he said swiftly. “I meant if it would make things better. If you wanted to. I’m not in love with you or anything,” he added to clarify his meaning, “but I love you just the same. And I want you to be happy.”

“Aw… Broly, that’s so sweet… but don’t you want to wait for love?” She asked gently.

“The pairbond **_is_** love,” he huffed as if it were obvious. “It wouldn’t matter once I’d bitten and bedded you; I’d be faithful and a good mate to you. I’d make sure you were always happy.”

“I meant love _before_ the mutual bite, silly.” Another grunt and a shrug answered her and she giggled. “Typical Saiyan male. But thank you, Broly… for looking out for me and wanting to keep my honor intact. I appreciate that more than I can say, big guy. And if it doesn’t work out with Turles, then yes. But seriously, Broly, that’s only if it’s what _you_ want. If not, I can figure something out. I’m naïve, not stupid.”

There was a long ten minute silence from both of them, but it wasn’t awkward at all; they were both prone to those long, comfortable quiet times, even on the scouter. But finally Broly broke the silence with a troubled look on his face. “Moonbeam…? When is your woman thing due?”

Usagi shrugged. “In a few days, I guess. Wh—oh, no. I don’t think I am Broly. And don’t you dare wish that on me.”

“But you said you were in heat the first two days. I was just checking.” And by his count, he was fairly sure she was late. She’d had her last period on the moon, and he remembered it well since he’d been privy to her mood swings and chocolate cravings. He dropped the subject though since he didn’t want to upset her, and hoped that everything would work itself out. Especially if she was with child. He’d still mate her if she was pregnant, yes. She was his only true friend, one of the few people that didn’t think of him as a crazy-ass freak, and the only one that didn’t fear him in some way. He’d be glad to raise her child as his own, simply because it was half of her.

But hopefully it wouldn’t come to that, and his best friend would find a little slice of happiness with the space pirate.


	4. Chapter 4

It had to be wrong. It _had_ to be.              

                Usagi fretfully flipped through the paper calendar she kept tucked away in her subspace and chewed on her lower lip as she checked for the little frowny faces she always drew on the days her periods started. “No. It’s wrong, it has to be. I don’t always start on the new moon… do I?” She whimpered softly, wiping at her eyes as they began to sting from tears.

                _Yes, you do,_ a little voice in the back of her head snorted. _Don’t be such an idiot, Usa. You’ve known that you start on the new moon ever since Ami convinced you to keep track for medical reasons. And it’s now the full moon._

“No it’s not,” she whispered aloud, slamming the calendar closed before shoving it roughly back in her subspace pocket.

                _What about the fifty-yard dash to the toilet the other day, huh? And the nausea yesterday? Denial is not a river in—_

“SHUT UP!” She snapped at her own inner monologue, losing control of the tears and burying her face in the black pillow on her bed as she began to sob uncontrollably.

#############################

                The mark was completely healed up and hadn’t even left a scar, but over the past few days, Turles had still felt a few twinges of strong emotion from his shipmate through the remnants of the bond. And every time he’d discreetly checked up on her, he’d found her crying in her room.

                She’d denied it, of course, and having just gotten back into her good graces enough for her to talk to him without yelling, Turles wasn’t going to push his luck. But this time was different; the emotion he felt coming from her was so damned strong that it was unreal, and her ki was even reacting to what could only be fear and/or utter despair.

                Striding to her door, he took with him the only excuse for bothering her in the early afternoon and knocked twice, immediately ceasing the muffled cries of anguish. “Rabbit…? You alright in there?” He asked softly. “I… I realized that I still… you know… had your pillow, and I thought I’d bring it back.”

                The door immediately opened and he found his own black pillow shoved into his arms, the pink one snatched from his hands, and he only caught a very brief glimpse of her tear-streaked face, bloodshot eyes, and the flickering moonbeam radiating from her forehead before she slammed her door closed in his face and locked it. “Rabbit?” He asked a little louder, knocking once more. “I can feel it, you know. I know that something’s very wrong… and if you want to talk about it—“

                “No,” he heard from the other side. “I’m fine. Go away.”

                “Alright, then. But later… if you want to…” he managed awkwardly as he wondered how in the hell Raditz dealt with Rei’s mood swings. “…I’ll listen if you want to tell me what’s got you so scared.” He heard the beeping of a scouter then, and recognized the pattern as Broly’s ringtone.

                “I have to get that,” she whispered, her voice trembling in fear.

                “That’s fine… just remember what I said, Rabbit. I’ll listen.”

###########################

                “Moonbeam? What did he do?” Broly grunted, his eyes flashing green momentarily in his anger.

                “N—Nothing,” Usagi stammered out, reaching into her subspace. She turned the eye of the scouter a little then, aiming it at the last month before flipping it to the next. “You were right,” she whispered in utter horror, “I’m two weeks late, now… and… and I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she sobbed, burying her face in her hands.

                He wasn’t a very outwardly emotional person, but Broly wished he could be there to hug his only real friend. “It’ll be ok, Usa.”

                “No! No it won’t, Broly! I’m… I’m so scared,” she added softly, wiping at her eyes. “I… dear gods, what am I going to do?”

                “Does Turles know?”  A simple shake of her head made him sigh. “You… you should probably tell him, Moonbeam. A father deserves to—“

                “NO!” She shouted. “No,” she said again, a lot more gently. “I’m sorry, Broly… I don’t mean to yell at you. None of this is your fault. It’s just… I don’t want him to feel trapped. He hasn’t made any sort of move in the last three weeks… not since I told him that we were betrothed.”

                “Probably because he’s terrified of me killing him,” Broly replied, flashing a momentary grin. He sobered when Usagi only continued to cry, sighing at how miserable she was. “Look, Moonbeam… you have two choices. You can tell him, or you can not tell him.”

                “If I don’t… and he really doesn’t want me anymore…?” Usagi asked fearfully.

                “Then the brat will be mine, and I’ll concoct some story about taking you just before you left the moon. The dates will match up just enough that no one will question it.”

                “Geta will ask why you didn’t mark me, Broly.”

                He grunted at that and shrugged. “I’ll think of something. Just stop worrying so much; it’s bad for the brat. And for you. Have you been eating, at least?”

                “I couldn’t eat the other day, and yesterday, only a little,” she admitted. “I kept throwing up and yesterday it was like my stomach was rolling at the thought of doing anything more than nibbling.”

                “That’s normal after four weeks with a Saiyan brat. It should pass in a few more.” Broly fell silent for a long time after that and Usagi kept quiet as well, occasionally whimpering as she continued to cry softly. “Usa…?” He finally asked.

                “Yeah?” She choked out.

                “The real reason I called…”

                Usagi blinked at the troubled look in his eyes and simply waited; Broly had never talked much to begin with, and she knew how he would sometimes pause in order to work things out in his head before putting them into words.

                “Your cousin, Minako. She landed two days ago, and…”

                Usagi’s eyes got a little wide at the sight of a dark blush creeping over his cheeks and finally nodded. “I’ll find a way to work things out with Turles, then,” she said with a confidence that she didn’t feel in the least. “No,” she said quickly when his eyes hardened and he opened his mouth to speak. “I take it she’s not afraid of you at all, or you wouldn’t be turning bright red at the thought of her. You deserve to be happy, Broly. We shouldn’t have to wallow in misery together for the rest of our lives; you go after her, and I’ll try and talk to Turles… and the chips will fall where they may.”

                Broly nodded. “Fine. But Usagi, if he doesn’t want you for his mate, I’ll still claim the child as mine. My honor be damned,” he added when she looked about to protest. “I won’t have you raising a bastard child all by yourself. It’s not fair to you or to him. A Saiyan child needs a father.”

                Usagi just shook her head and shrugged. “Just try and keep Vegeta from knowing anything at all about Mina? I wouldn’t want him to freak out and start trying to betroth me to someone else.”

                “Of course.”

################################

                “You’re looking a little green, Rabbit.” Turles regretted his words when she immediately changed shades from greenish to stark white, her skin blanching of all color as the hand picking at her food froze. “I know you haven’t offered to talk, but…”

                “I’m fine,” she whispered, her voice trembling a little.

                “You’re nervous about when we dock, aren’t you?” A deep sadness in her eyes made him sigh and regret everything he’d said two weeks ago for the millionth time. “Usagi… are you happy?” Ok, stupid-ass question; her eyes spoke of anything but happiness. In them were only fear, depression, and a tiny hint of longing as she looked up at him. Damn it, that was it, he couldn’t take much more, not after he’d taken back his pillow to find it soaked in her tears.

                Turles stood from his seat and simply scooped her up out of her own, ignoring the weak thumps of her fists against his chest as he carried her to the couch and cradled her against him. He wasn’t surprised when the tears started again the moment the struggling ceased, and he proceeded to murmur Saiyan words of comfort into her hair until those violent, wracking sobs ebbed into silent crying. “I wish you’d talk to me, Rabbit.”

                _Alright, you little bastard,_ Turles sighed when his beast began to get really out of control. _You win._ He had no clue how he’d managed it, but he’d kept an extremely short leash on his beast during the last couple weeks no matter how bad the urge to take her had gotten. But now, with his face buried in her hair, something about her scent was really setting it off, making his inner Saiyan practically scream .

                And not just with desire, either, though that was definitely in the background. Right at that moment, though, it was roaring at him to protect, to comfort, to defend and safeguard her at all costs.

                Usagi blinked and wiped at the constant flow of tears when Turles’s chest began to rumble in a gentle purr; not one meant to seduce, but one meant only to comfort her. She’d heard that same purr from her brother and father before, but frankly she’d never thought Turles capable of making such a sound. And apparently he hadn’t, judging by the look of mild shock on his face.

“I’m alright,” she barely managed. Gods, she couldn’t tell him. She just couldn’t. Despite everything he’d said to her, how cruel he’d been, she still loved him deeply and would never want to tie him down like that. He was a pirate, wild and free, and he valued that freedom above all else; Usagi simply wouldn’t trap him and take that away from him.

“No, you’re not,” Turles sighed into her hair. “And if it’s about what I said, Rabbit… I’m sorry. And… I was wrong.” But it was too late, and he knew it. She belonged to Broly, and he wouldn’t dishonor her by seducing her just before her arranged mating. “I know I’m too late, but would you forgive me anyway?”

“I forgave you a week ago,” she whispered into his chest.

“Then why are you crying, Rabbit? Do you want to mate with Broly? Do you want out of it?”

“No… I—I’m fine with it,” she lied softly.

Damn if Mina wasn’t right; the woman couldn’t lie for shit. His beast chuckled a little at that and tipped her face up to find her eyes still full of mixed emotions, but the swishing of his tail had drawn that longing he’d spied to the forefront. “You’re really going to go through with it.”

Usagi swallowed, licked her lips, then nodded slightly. But when he leaned in and she drew back a little, she found herself being held firmly in place. “What are you…?”

“May I kiss the bride, at least?”

That wide-eyed innocence he adored so much made him smile when she relaxed and nodded again, and with that admission, he closed the gap. He kept it light at first, simply brushing his lips over hers, then pressing them gently. But when she began to return it hesitantly, his beast groaned and that chaste kiss became hot, raw and demanding, his fists bunching in her hair as he shoved his tongue between her lips and devoured her fervently.

At first she was moaning softly, gradually moving against him as he began to explore her curves with eager fingertips, but then she was breaking away, voicing sharp, insistent protests that had Turles freezing. “Rabbit?”

“Lemme go, lemme go!” She choked out, struggling and trying like hell to slide out of his lap. Turles wondered why, but just as his brain began to unfog and he turned her loose, he found out why as she proceeded to vomit on his lap.

Dear gods, had she really just ralphed all over him? Honestly, Turles would have been laughing at the entire situation had she not looked so miserable, her hand covering her mouth as she obviously tried not to puke again. “Well, I’ve never made quite _that_ bad of an impression with my kissing before,” he chuckled, followed by a grimace at the mess in his lap as he scooped her up. “Come on, Rabbit.”

Usagi managed to hold down the bile coming up until Turles got her to a toilet, where she proceeded to be thoroughly and violently ill. If she hadn’t been so pale she would have been blushing at how he was kindly holding her hair out of the way, rubbing her back, and uttering soothing words in the Saiyan language. “Sorry,” she whispered hoarsely once she was sure she was finished.

“It’s alright, Rabbit. You’ve just got nerves, I know. I remember how you got right before your mother announced her future abdication to you. You threw up for a week, barely ate a thing until after the ceremony.” Turles hurriedly stripped them both, ignoring her weak protests, and snorted as he set her in the running tub. “You think I’m going to let us stink of puke all day, Rabbit? Come on, I’ll wash you up, then you’re going to lay around for the rest of the day, ok?”

The hurling had made her ache all over from the muscle spasms that always accompanied such a rapid eviction of the contents of her stomach, so Usagi could only nod and relax into his embrace when he joined her and wrapped her in his arms. “Sorry,” she said for the second time.

“Rabbit, I’ve gotten so drunk in the past that it’s not the first time I’ve gotten puke in my lap.” He didn’t speak again until he was through washing her, except to give her gentle commands to turn or tip her head back or brush her teeth, but when she was simply cradled in his lap once more, he sighed. “You don’t want to get married, do you? That’s what’s got you so scared.”

Part of it, yes, so it wasn’t a complete lie when she nodded slightly. “I’m sure I’ll feel better in a few weeks.” That was true too, according to Broly.

“You’re a good woman, Rabbit… and I was wrong. You’re very mature for your age. The things you handle for your kingdom and your mother… your willingness to marry without complaint for the good of your people…” Turles huffed and shook his head. “I didn’t mean a word of it, you know.”

“No… I didn’t know,” she replied stiffly, suddenly angry with him. “But if you were trying to push me away, it worked wonders.” Usagi took in the sadness in his eyes and slumped a little. “But I forgave you for it. Still, though… I shouldn’t be in here, Turles. I’m promised to another.” With that, she carefully extracted herself from his arms and pulled a towel out of her subspace to dry herself, but he was already following her out and dried her with his ki.

He nearly extended an invitation to his bed, but the look in her eyes told him she’d flatly refuse it. “Come on, let’s tuck you in and I’ll cook you something light to help settle your stomach.”

Usagi let him do that much, holding still while he helped her into a thin nightgown and submitting to being coddled like a child while he fluffed the pillows under her head and tucked her in tightly. His beast was clearly in total control, and she wondered while he was in the kitchen if his beast could smell the fact that she was carrying his child. It would certainly explain his current behavior.

In the kitchen, Turles was fixing her some bread and soup, with a side of raw vegetables to nibble on if she thought she could handle them. “What?” He grunted into his scouter when it went off. The sight of the prince made him pale a little but he managed to keep it together and seem annoyed by the interruption. “Highness?”

“You’ll be making port at the closest available planet, Turles, understand?”

The sight of a hint of worry in Vegeta’s eyes made him cut the burner off on the stove and give the prince his full attention. “The closest planet is a week out of the way, but I’ll go ahead and make the proper adjustments if you really think it’s necessary, Highness. What happened?” He asked as he strode to the bridge and punched in some new coordinates into the auto-pilot.

“You’re being tailed. Very discreetly, from what I’ve heard, but tailed just the same. Word has it that the little Earth prince decided to follow you. He even has some of his guards in tow to help him take my sister from you if he can manage to board your ship.” Vegeta worried his lip and sighed a bit. “There’s more. I’ll inform Usagi shortly, but her engagement to Broly is off. Our cousin and Broly… well, let’s just say some biting was involved when he got a little too riled over some unwanted male attention she was receiving.”

“She didn’t want to mate with him anyway,” Turles said without even thinking. “She’s worked herself up over it so badly that she’s making herself sick. She even puked on me an hour ago.”

“Damn.” Vegeta frowned at that and sighed. “I would have chosen another male for her if she’d spoken up. Damn it, Rabbit,” he muttered under his breath. “Any ideas, Turles? I need an Elite or someone of noble blood to get Endymion off her case. What?” He asked when the pirate growled a little.

“She shouldn’t be forced to marry anyone, Vegeta. It’s not fair to her.”

“And what do you care?” He asked slowly, fixing his eyes on Turles in a completely new light. “I don’t think I like the interest you’re suddenly taking in my sister’s welfare, Turles.”

With the save of the century, Turles rolled his eyes and huffed in impatience. “I have an interest in my fucking clothing, Highness. I don’t know if you’re into that sort of thing, but I’ve never found being hurled on arousing in the slightest. I was merely stating that it’s not fair to force her to mate with anyone, even to spare her from being annoyed by that weak little prince. Hell, she’ll be on Vegeta-sai; can’t you just surround her in Elite guards or something?”

“Until May, yes. Then she’ll be transported back to the moon for her birthday coronation and it’ll be out of my hands for the most part. She’ll be a queen then, capable of making her own choices. At least where Saiyan law is concerned. So right now I’m trying to do what’s best for her and spare her having to deal with that jackass. If she mates with a Saiyan warrior, she’ll have a guard in her bed and by her side every day. Hence, my previous choice. No one would fuck with Broly’s mate and hope to live.”

“True… but no one would fuck with her period if she were mated to any alpha. He wouldn’t have to be Elite or of royal blood. Hn… Kakarot’s pretty—“

“NO! Damn it, I will not lose _another_ sister to the House of Bardock, Turles, so don’t even mention your little brother’s name again!” Vegeta snapped.

So much for warming Vegeta up to the idea of a member of his own family mating with his sister. Eh, what did he expect, anyway? If he gave in to his beast and took Usagi, it was going to be one hell of a screaming fest… if not a downright ass-kicking from the crown prince. “Just a suggestion,” he said with a shrug. “Look, I can’t talk and set coordinates at the same time, Highness. Call your sister and maybe all of this will settle her stomach.”

“Fine.” Click.

#############################

“Geta? What’s wrong?” Usagi asked as soon as she answered the scouter and saw her brother’s troubled expression.

“Broly has mated with Minako. Someone propositioned her while he was escorting her, his beast flew off the handle, and he bit her and ran off with her. The engagement’s off.” The naked look of relief on Usagi’s face filled Vegeta with guilt over the whole thing. “You could have told me you didn’t want to mate with him, you know. I would have found someone more to your liking.”

“Oh, like who!? Everyone you’d approve is Elite or royalty from another planet, Geta! And other than Broly or the House of Bardock—whom I know you wouldn’t let me mate with—they’re all way too old for me!”

Turles’s words came back to him, and Vegeta sighed heavily and rested his head on his fist for a moment. “Alright, fine. We’ll widen the playing field, so long as Endymion doesn’t wind up snagging you. But if I do this… we scratch out _all_ foreign royalty, understand?”

“So… the only choice I have is with a Saiyan, then,” Usagi sighed.

“My only requirement is that he has to be an alpha, you understand me? I won’t have you mated to some sissy boy. And _preferably_ a higher than average power level, alright?” Vegeta added with a little groan of frustration.

“That’s it…? He just has to be an alpha?” Usagi beamed when Vegeta nodded. “Thank you, Geta. I’m sure I’ll be able to think of a suitable match by the time I land. Could I at least have a chance to land on Vegeta-sai and socialize with a few warriors before I make a decision? I don’t really know anyone outside of the royal guards.”

“I’ll make discreet arrangements for you to meet anyone you wish.”

“Or… why not just hold a try-out for the Elite, Geta? I’m sure plenty of warriors would come just for the honor to compete.” She smiled happily when he grunted and smirked at her and knew she’d come up with an excellent idea.

“Perfect, little Rabbit. I’d been thinking about expanding the Elite anyway for when you’re crowned queen; I was going to send a squad back to the moon with you.” Vegeta rubbed his hands together in anticipation; he’d felt helpless during the last month or so while she’d been in transit and there had been nothing for him to do in order to protect her. “Oh, and Turles said you were feeling under the weather. Hopefully you’ll be getting better, now?”

Usagi nodded and smiled, hoping that Vegeta wouldn’t see through the lie. “Thank you, Geta. I’ll eat something and take a nap and hopefully I’ll be a hundred percent better in the morning.”

She’d just hung up when Turles entered, carrying a tray, and she felt her heart flutter at the sight of him. Any male, so long as he was an alpha Saiyan warrior. And of course, ‘not of the House of Bardock’ was implied, but Vegeta hadn’t actually stipulated that condition, so… “Geta said that he spoke with you?”

“Yeah. Did he tell you we’re being tailed by Endymion?” The way she paled answered his question and he sat on the edge of her bed and stroked her hair away from her face. “Don’t worry, Rabbit. He won’t even touch you, I swear it. We’re diverting our course to Kanassa; it’ll put us behind by about two weeks total, but your brother requested that we make port somewhere. I’m hoping one of the faster ships will meet us there and we can just kill the little asshole and be done with it. In fact, I’ll call Kakarot, see if he’s perfected that teleporting thing he was working on. Maybe he can just meet us there.”

“You could easily take him,” Usagi pointed out.

“Yes, I could. But I would prefer to have someone there to watch your back to make sure one of his guards doesn’t snag you while I’m killing the little prick. You don’t want to see what my beast would do to someone trying to steal you like that, Rabbit.” Turles handed her the bowl of soup then and kissed her gently. “By the way, I also know that your engagement’s off. And I’d like to make everything up to you properly once you’re feeling better.”

“But, Turles, I—“ A kiss cut her off and she blushed despite how short and surprisingly sweet it was. “We probably shouldn’t,” she whispered, trying to resist how charming he could be when he put forth a little effort. She had to call someone, had to find out if sex would hurt the baby, and also needed to go down to the med lab while Turles was asleep to confirm for sure that she was carrying his child. She sighed a little and shook her head, realizing that she was going to have to bring Ami into the fold as well.

Turles took that shake of the head and the sigh as a rejection and couldn’t help the pang of hurt that ran through him. _A bit of my own medicine,_ he privately sighed. _She no longer loves you or trusts you, even if she is attracted to you._ Maybe he could fix that, but he knew it would take time.

Well, at least now he had an extra two weeks with which to work.

###############################

                Usagi bore Turles’s hovering as patiently as she could, but when he tried to climb into bed with her she flatly refused, trying her very best not to back down from kicking him out when she saw the pain in his eyes. If she hadn’t needed to sneak out in the middle of the night she would have let him stay.

                Another call from Vegeta kept her from tiptoeing out, and she mustered as much patience as possible when he pulled out a list. “Let me guess? You’re going to interrupt my short-lived relief to give me a list of possible suitors?”

                “Hey, what else am I’m good for if not annoying you?” He asked with a tiny grin. “So… I was thinking and—“

                “So that’s what I smelled burning all the way out here in space.”

                “Smartass. I knew I should have never taught you how to sass people. Now… Nappa. He’s more than qualified to lead as a king and—“ The look of utter disgust on his sister’s face stopped him short. “Oh come on, he’s not that bad.”

                “He’s old enough to be my great-grandfather. And… he’s _bald_ ,” she added with a wrinkle of her nose.

                “Toma? He’s handsome, strong and— what!? Come on, Usa! Don’t shoot every single candidate down!” Vegeta chastised her.

                “Old enough to be my grandfather. Though he is a good-looking man. But no, Geta. A little younger? _Please_?”

                “Mako mated with Bardock and he’s Toma’s age,” Vegeta grumbled.

                “Makoto also likes older men, Vegeta. I really don’t. I mean… older is fine, just… not old enough for him to already have grandchildren, ok? And preferably no one that already has children that are my own age! Yeesh!”

                Vegeta ground his teeth, his jaw twitching as he went to the very bottom of the list. “Gohan?”

                Holy shit. Had Vegeta actually added a member of Bardock’s house to the list? Usagi blinked at that and thought it over. “He’s gorgeous and a very adept warrior. But we’re just not compatible, Geta. I mean… he _likes_ school. Think about it.”

                “Please tell me that you don’t want Kakarot, at least.” Usagi’s laughter ringing through the air made him sag in relief. “Ok, so long as you don’t want _him_ , we’re ok.” The prince folded up the list and stuck it in his armor before studying her face carefully. “You’re looking much better, baby sister.”

                “Feeling better, honestly. What about you? Not too stressed about all of this, are you?” She asked gently. “I’m sorry I’ve been so much trouble, Gee-Gee.”

                “It’s not your fault that that bag of dicks tried to kidnap you to Earth and force you to marry him. And I’ll be just fine once you’re here on Vegeta-sai, surrounded by as much muscle as I can assign to you.” He rubbed at the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “I’ll call you again in the morning, I’m starting to get a headache, girl. You rest up and sleep in; tell Turles I ordered you to do so.”

                “Thanks, Gee-Gee. Night.” Usagi blew him a kiss then signed off as she slid out of the bed and snuck down to the med lab, where she closed the soundproofed door and immediately called Ami.

                A wild-looking princess of Mercury answered, her hair messy and— “Ami, are you wearing make-up?”

                Ami immediately blushed and shrugged a little bit. “I wanted to look nice for someone. That’s not a crime, is it?”

                “You always look gorgeous to me, _r’sha_ ,” a deep voice rumbled off-screen.

                Usagi blanched at first, then turned bright red, then grinned like a Cheshire cat at the sound of that very familiar voice. “Sissy… are you with Nappa by any chance?” She was glad for the soundproofed room when Ami’s eyes widened and she couldn’t help but laugh her ass off at the idea. “D—Does Nappa know that G—Geta just tried to hook me up with him!?” She cackled hysterically.

                The look of anger on Ami’s face surprised Usagi and she stopped giggling immediately. “Oh, don’t worry, Ami! He’s all yours, I swear it!”

                The princess of Mercury sighed with relief and the sound of Nappa purring in comfort to her could be heard over the scouter. “We were already worried enough as it is about how Geta and Father would react to me being mated without their consent. We were going to tell them soon, but…” She shrugged. “We didn’t want to add to their stress by telling them that I was mated. Not after how they had to spirit you away from Endymion.” She glanced at the clock and suddenly narrowed her eyes at her little half-sister. “Why are you calling so late?”

                It was Usagi’s turn to pale and she shook her head. “Um… mind asking Nappa to leave the room? It’s um… a bit of a delicate matter.”

                “I’m fully mated to him, Usa. He’ll know anyway. And if it’s a secret, Nappa won’t tell; so long as you keep our secret, too.”

                Usagi nodded and sighed. “Please don’t freak out, but… I’m in love with Turles—“ She paused and waited through the expected expletives from her new brother-in-law and the gasp of shock from her sister before continuing. “—and I need you to tell me how to work the body scanner in the med lab.”

                Ami immediately caught on and nodded. “When was your last menstrual cycle? Have you been keeping track as I told you to?”

                “Yeah… I’m over two weeks late and I’m throwing up all the time. Broly said that I was probably about a month along,” Usagi informed her sullenly, wiping at her eyes. “Turles doesn’t know, so… so please don’t tell him. We… we had a really big fight two weeks ago and we’re only beginning to patch things up.”

                “Bunny rabbit,” Nappa cut in, taking the scouter from his mate, “will he do the right thing by you? And does Vegeta know?”

                “I think he will… and no, **_please_** don’t tell Geta. Nappa, if he finds out, it’s going to be bad enough… but if he finds out and Turles and I aren’t mated… I mean, he already bit me the first time, and no, I am **_not_** telling you how that wound up happening in the first place. Let’s just say it was a huge accident and that it honestly was my **_total_** fault.” She got quiet then as looked Nappa in the eye. “Then I told him I loved him a few days later and he freaked out,” she whispered sadly. “He apologized later, though,” she added quickly when she caught a glimpse of murder in the bald warrior’s eyes. “We’re working it out… and I’ll find the right time to tell him about the baby. I just want to confirm it with the scanner first.”

                “You also don’t want to feel like you’re tying him down,” Nappa stated with knowing disgust. “Stupid, immature, irresponsible space pirate… I swear I’m going to have a word with Bardock before this is all over. Turles will get bent over his father’s knee before this is said and done with, Usa.”

                “Don’t you dare!” She snarled, showing her teeth in a Saiyan display she’d learned from her brother. “No one touches him, or I swear I’ll make you all very sorry! Now put my sister back on the line before I start yelling at you for real, Nappa.”

                “He meant well,” Ami said softly when she came back on the screen. “Nappa loves you like a little sister, Usa. He just doesn’t want anyone taking advantage of you or dishonoring you. And I’ll only say it once, but Turles needs to take some responsibility, especially if you’re pregnant. You say the initial encounter was your fault? I’m assuming you accidentally set off his beast or something and I believe you… but it still took two people to make that baby.”

Her little rant over, she proceeded to instruct Usagi on how to work the body scanner, and soon enough the screen across the room was showing a bunch of stuff that the moon princess couldn’t translate. “Yes, Usa,” Ami sighed. “There it is, right there. You’re definitely carrying his child… and I can’t be a hundred percent sure, but gestation does seem to be about four or five weeks along. You likely conceived during that very first time.”

“He’d said I was in heat,” Usagi whimpered.

“Well, there you go, bunny rabbit,” Nappa rumbled off camera. “At least now we know a little about what set his beast off, at any rate.”

“You should go ahead and tell him, Usa. You won’t be able to hide the symptoms for more than a couple more weeks. Turles is a big guy… not as big as Nappa, but you remember how early Mako showed with Kale. She was only about six weeks along and I could tell… to the untrained eye, though… maybe you’ve got another month or so. Saiyan boys are some big little guys, and since he’s half-Saiyan, you’ll only carry him for about six months.”

“It’s a boy, then?” Usagi whispered, her hand protectively curling around her flat abdomen.

“That’s what the readout says. Boys develop their tails much sooner than girls, so it’s probably picking up the growth on his rear.” Ami tried for a smile and managed to wink at her little sister. “We can race, if you’d like. My due date is only two weeks before yours, Usa.”

“Ami!? You’re going to have a baby, too!?” Usagi squealed when Ami nodded and blushed, and suddenly had the answer to the other question she’d wanted to ask. “So… sex? It’s safe…?”

“If Turles wants to mate you—and he _should_ after knocking you up,” Nappa added with a growl, “then yes, it’s safe. His beast won’t let him take you roughly. And bunny rabbit? If he doesn’t mate you, I’ll be getting in line behind your brother and Broly to smear his blood all over the walls.”


	5. Chapter 5

Thank the gods for Ami. Usagi actually slept the entire night thanks to her sister’s list of drugs she could safely take to help the nausea, and a trick she’d learned from Makoto and Bardock for the morning sickness. The moon princess made sure to have a pack of crackers and a can of ginger ale at her bedside for the next morning, and was told to nibble and sip for a half hour before she even got up. Supposedly that would keep her from puking her guts out as soon as she got up, and then she could take a pill to subdue the nausea once she got something more substantial on her stomach.

                Usagi hid the crackers and drink when she heard footsteps down the hall and hurriedly pretended to be sleeping; years with her brother and their guards had taught her how to effectively fake sleep, even to a Saiyan warrior, and she kept her breathing deep and even when she heard her knob turn and her door slowly open.

                “Rabbit?” Turles said softly as he approached the bed, hesitating for only a moment before sitting down on the edge. He hadn’t slept a wink all night, tossing and turning despite the scent of her in his own pillow; her implied rejection of him had torn him up so badly that he’d fought the urge to come into her quarters and climb in her bed, even if he had to sleep at the foot of it. She didn’t stir, and he began to purr quietly as his beast took over. _“R’sha…”_ Turles shivered at the sound of that word coming out of his mouth; he’d never uttered it in his life and his cheeks were flushing as he realized that he’d actually said it… to her.

                Behind closed eyes, Usagi’s thoughts were going a mile a minute at the sound of that word, and she barely managed to continue her act when she heard it. He loved her? Saiyans only uttered that word to their mates, and only when they truly meant it; it was the very closest that any warrior would come to saying ‘I love you.’ …And Turles had just said it to her.

                He couldn’t stop himself from sliding in beside her, and he sighed happily as he buried his face in her hair and he felt her adjust in her sleep, pressing against him as if she belonged there. And she did, Turles realized; if she agreed to it, he was going to bite her again and take her as his mate.

No more running, her brother’s fury be damned.

She felt him pull back a little, and when his fingers slid over her face, caressing her gently, Usagi cracked her eyes open sleepily. “Shouldn’t be here,” she mumbled, only to close her eyes again and enjoy his strong, wild scent. Then Usagi felt his lips on hers and moaned softly, unable to stop her body’s reaction to him as she returned the kiss and melted into his embrace.

“Do you still…?” Turles whispered as he broke away.

Usagi was unsure of what he was asking, but the light blush to his cheeks and the look in his eyes translated the full question for her. “Yes, I still love you, but—“ Another kiss cut her off, this one far more passionate than the last, his tongue invading her mouth to slowly dance with hers as he rolled on top of her and began to tug at her clothing. And she nearly gave into him, was wrapping her legs around his waist and pulling at his shirt… until her scouter went off.

“Call them back,” Turles grunted trying to grab the device out of her hand as she removed it from under her pillow.

“No,” Usagi snorted, pushing up on his chest to get away. She shot him a very serious look and he finally acquiesced, and she was careful to keep him out of view when she took the call. “Broly? Is everything alright?” But it was her cousin’s face that popped onto the screen, and Usagi beamed at her. “Minako! Hey! My, my… doesn’t your hair look quite disheveled.”

“Heh… now that you know what sex is, an awful lot of things suddenly make sense, don’t they!?” Mina cackled. “Especially sex hair! Hm… and your hair’s looking a little sexy, too. Don’t tell me that you actually let Turles back into your bed after the way he broke your heart?”

A little growl was heard on Mina’s end and she gawked at her cousin before scowling. “Well, since he can hear me… Turles! You are such a fucking asshole, and I’d like you to know that I’m right behind Broly in the line-up of people wanting to kick your ass! How dare you take advantage of my little cousin like that and then go and hurt her! If I could come through this screen right now and kick you in the balls with my six inch heels I’d—“

“Mina!” Usagi said loudly, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she tried not to laugh at her cousin’s little rant. “Please, it’s alright so please just stop, ok?”

“Did he bite you again?”

“I was going to when you cockblocked me,” Turles snarled, flopping onto his back and huffing like a petulant child.

“Good! I’m glad I cockblocked you, you insensitive fucking prick!”

Usagi blanched when Mina suddenly smiled, a glint in her cornflower eyes. That look could only mean one thing… trouble. “Minako… please don’t,” she said quickly, switching the scouter to earpiece only so that Turles couldn’t hear her.

“Did you just put me on silence?” Mina asked incredulously. Then a look of understanding crossed her face and she frowned. “You haven’t told him about the baby. Dear gods, Usagi… what am I going to do with you!? Even if I’m pissed as hell at him for the way he’s treated you, he deserves to know! And you’re going to start showing before you even dock, so why haven’t you told him!?”

“I was going to,” she sighed. “Later, though, ok?” She asked, carefully wording her response so as not to arouse suspicion.

“Tell you what, Usa. I’ll make you a deal,” Mina crooned. “You make that man work for it and I won’t tell him about the baby.”

“Huh?”

“Turn me back on speaker so he can hear me. I won’t give anything away, I promise, ok?”

Hesitantly, Usagi complied and cut the speaker back on. “Go ahead?”

“Turles, in penance for hurting my little cousin, the goddess of love and beauty requires you to court her properly,” Mina stated regally.

Growling at the idea of being ordered around, Turles snatched the scouter from Usagi and glared at the blonde on the other end. “Excuse me?”

“Unless, of course, you want me to make a little call to a certain Saiyan prince,” Minako stated flatly. “Care to try me, Turles?”

That brought his beast right to the surface, and he snorted in derision at being so well-played. “Fine. Name your terms, woman.”

Usagi buried her face in her pillow and groaned; clearly Turles had never been on the receiving end of one of Mina’s negotiations, and the moon princess knew how ruthless the princess of Venus could be.

“You’re going to court her properly. You’ll treat her like a mate, like an equal, and if you hurt her feelings again I’m running straight to her brother and ratting your ass out. A courtship mark is allowed, but you’re not allowed to fully pairbond until I say so. Or, well… Usagi didn’t do anything wrong. I guess she can bite you back if it’s _her_ choice. No coercion is allowed from you, though.”

Well, that was easy enough to follow. Turles had already been fully planning on biting her anyway, and while he’d never courted a woman before, it couldn’t be _that_ difficult. “Fine. Deal. Anything else?”

“Nope. Now hand me back to my cousin so I can brag on everything she’s missed out on by not mating with Broly!” She laughed hysterically. “Oh my dear gods, that man is insatiable! And for a virgin, he sure as hell knew what he was doing once he got going!” The visor was back over Usagi’s eye at that point while Turles made quiet gagging noises and grossed out faces just within her view and she tried not to giggle at him for it. “Oh gods, Usa… and when his beast comes out…” Minako blushed at that, something Usagi had never seen happen before, and her interest was sufficiently piqued.

“Oh?” She asked.

“Girl, I have never been dominated like that in my whole life. And damn… it had to be the sexiest thing I’ve ever had happen to me. He had me pinned down for over an hour and if I moved so much as a muscle, he got all snarly, commanding and—“

“Wow. I have so heard enough of this,” Turles broke in. “Rabbit, call me back in when your cousin’s finished ranting about Broly’s cock, would you? Because I’d like to show you mine,” he added with a little smirk.

“I’m sure he’d like to do more than show it,” Minako quipped, grinning at the sight of Usa’s mortified blush. “Mmm… nice ass on your man, too, now that I think about it. Not as nice as Broly’s though… OH! And don’t even get me started on what happens when he goes Super Saiyan in the heat of the moment!” Mina squealed loudly.

“Um… uh, Mina? I’m sorry but… Turles and I sort of need a little time to talk and you kind of interrupted—“

“Oh, that’s right! Sorry, girl! You call me later and fill me in on how he’s behaving, and if that man doesn’t court you properly and treat you like the moon goddess you are, not only will I rat him out to Gee Gee, I’ll make sure he can’t get his cock up for a whole year!”

Eyes a little wide at that last part, Usagi simply nodded before fully turning her scouter off. “You’re safe from hearing about another man’s privates, Turles!” She said loudly, knowing he would hear her.

He returned with a small tray of food and gave her a long, slow kiss as he sat down on the side of the bed, setting breakfast on her nightstand. “Your stomach feeling better?”

“Yes, actually, thank you. And thank you for the food,” she said shyly, knowing very well that he’d done it to follow Mina’s rules to the letter.

“She was right,” he sighed. “I should be courting you, Rabbit. You’re a princess; that alone dictates that I should have treated you better than I have.”

Usagi frowned at that and pushed away the offered food that he sat in her lap, knowing damned well how much of an insult it was. “Because I’m a princess? Really? Not because you care about me? Or because you’ve known me since I was a child and you considered me a friend before this trip?”

“That _alone_ , Rabbit. Now eat,” he growled softly, setting the plate back down in her lap gently. He was upset about the insult, yes, but his beast was climbing the walls over the simple fact that she wouldn’t eat, more concerned with that than the rejection itself. He blocked out his beast and turned on the charm when she crossed her arms over her chest and stubbornly looked away. “Eat for me, Rabbit, and I’ll make it worth your while. In fact… we could finish where we started off before Mina interrupted us.”

“You’re only courting me because she told you to,” she huffed.

“I’ve never courted a woman before, Usagi. I honestly don’t even know how.” Turles sighed at that and decided that another call to Raditz was in order. “I’ll figure it out. But for now, at least eat something. My beast is pretty insistent about that and I don’t want him to get out of hand and force feed you.”

“Fine,” she sputtered, studying the plate in front of her. Her stomach felt queasy at the sight of sausage and eggs; she’d liked them fine before, but apparently the baby didn’t. The toast didn’t turn her stomach, though, so she settled on that and waved away the rest. “My belly’s still upset, I think,” she explained when he looked ready to growl and yell at her. “Please don’t make me eat it, Turles.”

His beast relented at the way she’d paled a little and nodded, setting the plate to the side. “Still stressed out?”

“A little,” she admitted, wiping the crumbs from her comforter and onto the floor once she was finished eating. Before she could utter another word and ask about maybe getting some more toast, Turles had her flat on her back and he was kissing her passionately, groaning at the taste of her as he tugged at her nightgown. “Turles,” she gasped, as he latched his mouth onto one perky breast, “we… we probably shouldn’t…”

“You’re mine,” he replied softly, sliding down her underwear. But he stopped as he unzipped his pants and frowned, let out a heavy sigh, and flopped onto his back, sagging into the covers as he grumbled in Saiyan. “Your period’s starting,” he ground out through his teeth. “Fuck.” The way she’d suddenly stiffened had Turles turning his head, and he sat up at the sheer look of terror on her face. “Rabbit? What’s wrong.”

Mumbling something completely incoherent, Usagi rolled out of the bed quickly and darted into the bathroom, taking her scouter with her, thanking the gods that all of the rooms on the ship were pretty well soundproofed. “Ami,” she gasped out, trembling as she sat down on the toilet and eyed the spot of blood on her underwear.

“Usagi? What’s wrong?” Her sister asked in alarm. “Are you alright?”

“I’m bleeding,” she whispered.

                Trying to remain calm, Ami took a deep breath and counted to ten. “You’ll be alright. Are you feeling any pain?” A quick shake of her head made Ami try for a smile. “A little spotting is normal, Sissy. I wouldn’t worry too much about it so long as you’re not experiencing any cramping, ok? If you start having cramps, you need to tell Turles immediately and have him get you to the closest planet as fast as he can. I don’t think you’re miscarrying, but the spontaneous abortion of a Saiyan fetus can be quite painful and life-threatening for the mother. You’re only a month along, but right now he’s at the same size as a twelve-week Lunarian fetus.”

                “Is there anything I should do?” Usagi whispered in reply, trying her best to remain calm.

                “I would get to the body scanner, just to check,” Ami responded calmly, wishing she was there to soothe her little sister. “There’s likely nothing wrong and you’re just spotting a little—which is completely normal,” she reiterated. “Put on a pad and go down and see if Turles will—“ A quick shake of the other princess’s head stopped her dead. “Do you mean to tell me that you haven’t told him yet?”

                “I… um… I haven’t exactly had the chance,” she said meekly. “And if there’s a chance that I’m losing it,” she added in a horrified tone, “then I’d rather never tell him.”

                “Fine. Then get downstairs and if he asks, you tell him that I asked you to do a body scan because your period was coming at an odd time, and that I think it’s stress related but I just want to check to be sure.”

                “Kay.” Grabbing a fresh pair of panties from her subspace, Usagi lined them with a pad and blushed as Ami simply explained to him over the speaker why she was going to the med lab.

                Surprisingly enough, Turles didn’t insist on going with her, mostly due to her deep embarrassment over the subject. “Just let me know if everything’s alright… no wonder your stomach was upset,” he added after a moment. “I’ll fix you something light for a proper breakfast, Usa.”

                Uttering a hurried thank you, Usagi then barricaded herself in the med lab and followed Ami’s instructions until a picture like the one from before popped up on the screen. “Wow, he’s growing fast, even for a Saiyan,” the genius exclaimed softly. “You may start showing sooner than I originally thought, Usa. Heartbeat sounds and looks normal, and other than the growth rate, he looks like he’s doing nicely. I want you to stay in bed for a few days, though, alright? Just to be safe, since the scan shows your blood pressure is a little higher than it should be. That could be the stress from a miscarriage scare, but I don’t want you taking any chances. You can get out of bed to bathe and use the bathroom, but that’s it.”

                “But Ami I—“

                “Hush, I’m not done. I also want you to call me immediately if you experience any heart palpitations—like your heart’s fluttering,” she explained. “Or if your chest or left side hurts or goes numb. I also want you to come down here and scan yourself once a day and call me to look over the results. If you start cramping, call me. If you bleed heavier than just some spotting, call me. And if you don’t tell Turles about the baby, I’m going to personally shit-kick you all over Vegeta-sai once that baby’s born. Understand me, Sissy?”

                “Yes, Ami,” Usagi groaned. “Anything else?” She muttered dejectedly.

                “Actually, yes. Get a blood pressure cuff out of the cabinet, one of the automatic ones you can wear on your wrist. I want you to take your blood pressure every few hours, or if you feel light-headed, tired, or just plain strange. And if the top number is over one-forty or the bottom number’s over eighty, I want—“

                “Me to call you. Yeah, I get it,” she sputtered impatiently as she rummaged through the cabinet and found what she was looking for. “Please tell me that’s it.”

                “One more thing.” Ami smiled when Usagi just frowned, one blue eye twitching in a manner that reminded her too much of their older brother. “I love you,” she giggled teasingly.

                “Yeah, yeah. That word,” Usagi chuckled, imitating Vegeta fairly well. “I’ll call you later, woman!” Click.

                “Well?” Turles asked when she returned, cuff in hand, stomping up to her bed to flop down on it like a pissed off little kid who’d just been grounded.

                “Bed rest,” she mumbled into the comforter she had her face buried in. “Shut up,” Usagi groaned when Turles began to lecture her on how she needed to get under the covers and take a nap. “I’m in the bed. I’m resting. Now just. Shut. Up.”

                “May I ask why you’re on bed rest?” He asked curiously, eyeing the cuff in her hand.

                Usagi handed over her scouter. “Call Ami,” she sputtered, half hoping that her sister would reveal her delicate condition and spare her that particular little face-off.

                Slowly, Turles donned the scouter and dialed the princess of Mercury, and when she popped on the screen and she smirked at him—looking an awful lot like her half-brother—Turles narrowed his eyes in reply. “What’s wrong with her?” He finally asked. “And why does she have a portable blood pressure monitor?”

                Still annoyed with him for breaking Usagi’s heart—even if he did seem concerned and Mina had said he was trying to fix it—Ami broke out the medical jargon. “She’s suffering from elevated arterial pressure of the systemic circulation, likely due to high levels of unnecessary anxiety.”

                “The wha?”

                “Her blood pressure is high. It was one-sixty over ninety-five, and I want her on bed rest for a few days. No stress, Turles. At **_all_**. Understand me?” Ami couldn’t help but chuckle at the look of extreme worry crossing his face, and decided that a bit of pampering would be a good thing for Usagi. And since she couldn’t tell him about the baby, she could neglect to inform him that the princess’s BP had likely been high due to the fear of losing the baby. “I’ll call Geta and inform him of his sister’s condition and ask him to refrain from stressing her out as well. She can get up to relieve herself and bathe; that’s it. Hm… and an hour of _light_ exercise so long as her BP is normal. You know the normal ranges?”

                “Yeah,” Turles grunted, still eyeing Usagi with thoughtful concern. “Anything else?”

                “I want her to use the scanner in the med lab once a day, and I expect you to give her the necessary privacy for it,” she added firmly. “Since the scan involves her private areas.”

                “Anything I should worry about?”

                “You’ll have to take that up with Usagi, I’m not about to break patient-doctor confidentiality, Turles. It’s nothing life-threatening, though, if you must know. Now give her the scouter back so I can go over some stuff with her.”

                Usagi took it back when he handed it over, and immediately turned off the speaker as she shivered at the possessive, domineering look that Turles was giving her. “Ok, Ami?”

                “You are going to tell him, right?” A tiny nod made her sigh, she knew her sister all too well. “Soon, ok? Not when you start to show. And for the stress, you can take two of those pills that relax you; they’re safe for you to take while you’re pregnant, but you know they’ll knock you out.”                             

                “The pills you gave me when Mother announced my coronation?”

                “Yes, those. Test the cuff for me real fast. What’s it say?”

                Usagi huffed and put it on, waited for the readout, and finally grimaced. “One-fifty over eighty-three.”

                “Not bad compared to the last one, at least it’s coming down. I’m going to call Geta now, so I’m sure you can expect him to call you as well in a few minutes. He’ll be calm though, I’ll make sure he knows not to stress you out,” Ami said with a gentle smile, wishing she was there to hold and comfort her sister.

                Usagi nodded and hung up, then looked up at Turles fretfully. “What?”

                “Your sister said to ask you if I wanted to know if I needed to worry. Which in turn, makes me worry even more. What’s wrong, Rabbit?” He asked, trying to keep his tone gentle when he really wanted to yell and strangle her for the answer. He hated worrying, hated caring, and in the last few weeks she’d managed to make him do both of those things to the excess. Hell, she’d managed to make him fall in love with her… so she’d better start giving him some fucking answers, and _fast_. “Tell me or—“ He stopped midsentence when the cuff on her wrist began to beep, indicating that her pulse and BP was rising. “Fuck. Fine, you’re off the hook for now. But I think it’d be courteous of you to fill your mate in on what’s happening.”

                “You’re not my mate,” she reminded him stiffly.

                “I thought you’d forgiven me?” Turles rumbled, taking a seat only six inches from her.

                “I did. But… it doesn’t mean that I trust you to bite me again,” she admitted softly, looking down and away from him. “How do I know you won’t suddenly get skittish and reject me again?”

                Once bitten, twice shy… it was a truer statement for Saiyan mates than anyone knew. “I won’t, Rabbit. You’ll just have to trust me on that, ok? Now come here,” he ordered, tugging her into his lap. “I won’t invade your thoughts, ok? Whatever’s wrong with you… I’m sure you’ll tell me eventually, even if it’s some embarrassing woman thing.” Which he suspected it was, so he decided not to push the issue. “Relax, little Rabbit,” he breathed against her shoulder when he felt her tense in his arms. “We’ll do this right, this time. And consummate it when you’re done bleeding.”

                “Turles… are you sure…?” Usagi whispered, closing her eyes as she leaned into his solid chest. Gods, she wanted it more than anything, but not at the expense of having him reject her again. “Is this really what you want?”

                The space pirate swallowed nervously and nodded. “Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom… I will protect you and care for you for the rest of my life…” He took a deep, shuddering breath as his beast took over, clouding his vision with a red haze of desire that made it difficult to focus. “I take you as my mate, bound to me for life. Do you accept my claim, woman?”

                Fingers trembling, Usagi pulled his shoulder to her mouth and ignored the beeping of the cuff around her wrist. “I…” She licked dry lips as she tried to focus while he began to nip and lick at her own shoulder, his purr filling the room. “Yes. Turles, of House Bardock… I accept your claim over me as your mate,” she replied formally.

                Teeth pierced her shoulder then and she moaned helplessly as his thoughts filled hers, but when she moved to return the mark, he stopped her. “Turles?”

                Seeing the uncertainty in her eyes, Turles shook his head and kissed her, smearing her own blood over her lips. “No, Rabbit… like I said… we do this right. You’ll bite me back when we consummate the bond. In the meantime, I court you, though you’ve already agreed to the full pairbonding. I told Minako I would, and even if she wasn’t threatening to rat us out, she’s right. You deserve to be treated how a warrior would treat a female that he’s courting. For now, lie down. Your blood pressure’s still too high and I can sense how you’re stressing through the bond—don’t worry, I’m not reading your thoughts…” Turles swallowed nervously once more. “… _r’sha_.”

                Usagi’s stomach fluttered at that and she felt tears of relief and happiness prick her eyes. “ _R’sha_ ,” she whispered in reply, kissing him lightly. “I love you too, Turles.”

#############################

                “How do you court a female properly?”

                “Hi, Turles! Wow, so good to see you too! Yeah, I’m just great, how about you?” Raditz immediately lost his happy, fake smile and frowned deeply. “Learn some fucking manners and maybe I’ll help you, puppy,” he growled, hanging up on his brother.

                Back on Vegeta-sai, Raditz silently counted to three and chuckled when his scouter rang again, and waited a full minute before answering it. “Hello?”

                “Please?” Turles ground out through his teeth.

                “Such a slow learner. Let’s try this again, you rude little shit.” Click. He laughed then and waved away Rei when she came in to check on him. “Just Turles. I’m teaching him ‘the people skills.’”

                “Oh,” she snorted, “good luck with _that_!”

                “Hello?” He asked again when he picked up on the tenth ring.

                “Hello.”

                “ ** _Much better_**! See, Turley, you **_can_** be taught!”

                “How are you,” he added in a sarcastic, monotone voice.

                “Just fine! Thanks so much for asking! Rei was just cooking us supper, and we’re having Nappa and Ami over to eat with us. How about you, Turley?”

                “Can I ask for help now? Or do I really need more of these damned polite niceties before you’ll tell me what to do?” He growled out impatiently.

                “Oh, I _suppose_ you can ask me for help, now. But ask nicely or I’ll hang up on you again!” Raditz laughed.

                “I already said _please_ ,” he replied, close to whining.

                “Oh, you’re no fun, Turley. Be nice to her, do randomly kind things for her. You can’t exactly take her out since you’re both stuck on the ship, but when you dock on Kanassa, maybe take her out for a meal and get her something nice?”

                “Hopefully she’ll be off bed rest by then,” he sighed.

                “Yeah, Ami told me about that already. What?” He asked when Turles snarled. “Word gets around fast on Vegeta-sai, brother. I swear her brother’s the only one that doesn’t already know that you’ve slept with her. Oh, Mako told me to tell you she’s going to whoop your ass when her and Father return to Vegeta-sai,” he added with a laugh. “I’ll be selling tickets to the fight. So… anything else? Another lesson on being polite, perhaps?”

                “No, thanks,” Turles muttered dryly. “But I don’t know what to do for her. She’s stuck in bed and she’s asleep half the time; whenever her BP spikes, she takes a pill to relax her and passes out.”

                “You can’t sleep with her, but there are plenty of other ways to relax her. How many days left before she stops bleeding?”

                “Four. The last three days have made my beast a little crazy from the waiting, but he’s under control since he knows she’s not well. And she’s getting antsy as hell and bored out of her skull.”

                Raditz nodded at that and frowned as he thought. “Hey… are you within range of Kanassa’s satellites?”

                “Yeah, we’re only three days out. Why?”

                “Perfect. Download some books for her to read. I know that her and Rei and Mina trade them all the time, but they’re always careful not to give her anything that has more than kissing in it. Well… now you can give her some of the smuttier stuff, eh? I’m sure she’ll be thoroughly entertained until you land.”

                “Raditz, I’d hug you right now if I could,” Turles said, smiling ear to ear. “Thanks, brother!” Hanging up, he ran to the bridge and began doing exactly what his brother had instructed him to, and within minutes he had downloaded several trashy romance novels for Usagi’s entertainment.

                He looked at the clock and waited patiently until suppertime, fixed her a light meal—he’d been making sure to keep meat off the menu unless it was chicken, since she seemed to stomach that just fine—and put a reading tablet on the tray when he brought it in to wake her up. For the millionth time that week, something about her scent set his beast off and he fought it down, reminding the animal inside of him that she was still under the weather, that they couldn’t claim her until Ami gave them leave. Even if she was only bleeding a tiny bit, not enough to even bother him as far as sex was concerned. “Hey, Rabbit,” he purred in her ear, alerting her lightly through the bond to rouse her.

                “Hmmm…? Oh, hey… shorry I shleeping sho mush,” she slurred, still under the effects of the pills. “Was mah BP?”

                “Excellent. Only one-ten over sixty, little Rabbit. Come on, sit up and eat something. I brought you a surprise.” That got her moving a little faster, and Turles propped her up carefully with the pillows before setting the tray right next to her on the bed. “I thought you could read while I trained; we’re close enough to Kanassa for me to download anything you want, but Raditz said you liked romance stories. So I got you a few of those.”

                Usagi smiled, but it was a bit lopsided from the pills. “Thanks,” she whispered, focusing on staying upright as she ate a piece of toast. She gave him a grateful loopy smile when he sat down beside her and helped to keep her from sliding back down into the covers, and her coordination was so poor that she didn’t even protest when he helped her eat her soup. “Sorry I’m so much trouble,” she sighed.

                “Nonsense, Rabbit. You’re sick. I’m your mate and I’ll take care of you. I hope you’d do the same for me,” Turles responded easily as he wiped her mouth and handed her the tablet. “There. I want you to stay awake for a little while, ok, Rabbit?”

                “But I’m tired,” she sighed.

                “I know you are, sweetheart,” he sighed into her hair, knowing full well that she was getting lethargic from all the laying around. “But you need to stay up. Tell you what? If you’re good and you’re still awake when I get back, we can sleep in my quarters tonight.”

                Usagi would have loved that, but she hesitated and shook her head. “No. Not until I’m better, Turles. Your bathroom’s further to walk to and… well, it would be a bad idea,” she admitted with a blush.

                “Eh, you got me there,” he chuckled softly, giving her a quick kiss. “Having you in my bed would very likely make me take you. Hell, sleeping in the same bed period would do that. Alright, time to go workout or something. I’ll keep my scouter on if you need me, sweetheart.”

                Usagi gave him a tiny smile and nodded as he rolled out of her bed and left, sighing with boredom once he was gone. “Oh well, at least he brought books,” she chuckled, trying to stay upbeat despite how sad and worried she was.

She was barely making an effort to read to at least show her gratitude until she got ten pages in and came across something that made her turn beet red. “Oh dear gods… people… people _write_ about sex?” She whispered in embarrassment. “I wonder if that’s why Minako wouldn’t let me just have my pick of her fluff novels,” she continued, turning a couple pages to find out if—yup. They definitely described everything in this novel. _Everything_. “Who the hell is this written by…? Mega… What the hell kind of name is MegaKat? Damn if she doesn’t have a dirty little mind!”

Usagi set down the tablet and just shook her head slowly before picking it back up. “Well, it’ll keep me awake, that’s for sure,” she giggled as she picked it back up and flipped back to where she’d originally left off. “Hm… maybe I’ll learn a couple things, too.”

#########################

Turles toweled off the sweat from his neck as he ran through a series of katas in such a flurry that there was little beauty or grace to them. His beast was getting antsy, chomping at the bit, and bugging the hell out of him to get back to his mate. He’d only checked on her through the bond every few minutes to placate the persistent little bastard, but that wasn’t making him even a little bit happy.

“Fine, fine,” he growled at himself. “Give me five more minutes and we’ll go up. Stubborn jackass.” That seemed to placate his beast, and Turles took the next kata a little bit slower and under even higher gravity, just to push his limits a little more than usual. “Just a little higher,” he growled, pushing a couple buttons until he really felt the strain on his muscles. “There we go.”

The exercise went a lot slower that time, but Turles was grinning at his accomplishment; this was way higher than he’d ever been able to move in before! At least it was until his leg buckled under the pressure, anyway. A low cry of pain escaped his lips and he voice-ordered the gravity to shut down before looking down at his leg. “Fuuuck,” he groaned.

Broken, most definitely, and in two places. “At least it’s clean,” he grunted, gritting his teeth against the pain as he crawled to the wall and grabbed a sparring staff to support himself with. The med lab was only one floor down, though, and Turles navigated the stairs as carefully as possible so as not to jar the broken tibia and fibula before he hobbled inside and immediately injected a painkiller from the medicine chest. “Computer, bring up the scanner,” he ordered roughly, scrambling up onto the table carefully, cringing and growling at the pain as he lifted his leg up onto it and laid it out straight.

“Med scan memory is full. Delete a scan?” The monotonous feminine voice asked him.

“Ugh. Damn it. Computer, pull them up across the screen.” Turles looked at all the thumbnails from Usagi scanning herself and shrugged. “Show first scan in the set.” He didn’t want to pry, so he just glanced at it to confirm the date, making it the oldest in the bunch. “Yeah, just del—the hell?” He rubbed at his eyes for a moment before opening them once more and staring blankly at the screen on the wall. “Computer…?” He asked slowly.

“Yes?”

“Enhance. Two-hundred percent.” His lips were suddenly very dry, and Turles licked them slowly as his eyes remained locked on the vital signs portion of the scan. “Computer…? Is… is that dual heartbeats on that scan?”

“Yes. One adult female. One fetus. Delete scan?”

He suddenly couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t function past anything but what he was seeing and what the computer had just confirmed for him.

He was going to be a father.


	6. Chapter 6

A father.

                He was going to be a father.

                Turles clenched his fist and fought for air as he tried his best not to blow up at the knowledge that she hadn’t told him she was carrying his seed, reflecting on all of her symptoms and how he was such a blind fucking idiot. “The nausea… ordered bed rest for the—dear gods,” he gasped, suddenly not angry with her in the least. “She’s _bleeding_.”

                No wonder she hadn’t told him. “Gods, she’s more Saiyan than her sisters sometimes, I swear it.” In her fear of losing the baby when she’d started bleeding, she had decided not to tell him, to bear the loss alone. Just like a typical Saiyan woman. His mother had done the same thing to Bardock twice, and the only reason Turles knew about it was because he’d still been a brat at home when it had happened. Kakarot had been her little miracle baby, only for Romayna to die bringing him into the world. “Shit. Usa… you could have _told_ me. Computer?” He whispered, “is the brat—er, the fetus… viable?”

                “Yes. Vitals are good, but growth rate is higher than normal.”

                “And the mother’s vital signs?”

                “Improving from initial scans.”

                Turles sagged in relief at that and nodded to himself. “Is stress the main factor of her spiking blood pressure?”

                “Yes. No other physical factors were found.”

                A thought occurred to him and while it was pretty funny, he tried his best not to laugh. “Could the Fruit of Might have caused the rapid growth of the fetus?”

                “If the mother ate it, that is the cause.”

                “Will the growth slow, or will it continue at its current rate?”

                “It is already beginning to plateau. Normal growth will resume in a few days.”

                Brain growing fuzzy from the painkiller, Turles nodded. “Delete the first scan and scan my leg, computer,” he sighed. “We’ll take care of this first.” He shakily donned his scouter while his leg was being examined and immediately dialed his brother.

                “Hello?”

                Turles swallowed, but when nothing came out of his mouth he just gave Raditz the deer in the headlights look.

                “I suppose we can forgo the pleasantries this one time,” the long-haired warrior chuckled. “You’re looking a little pale, Turley. You ok?”

                “You could have told me about the brat, Raddy,” he managed to get out, his voice sounding hoarse and choked. “I’m assuming you know.”

                “Oh. She told you! Good!” Raditz laughed. “How is she!? You didn’t light into her for not telling you like I thought you would, did you? Because she was honestly terrified that you’d be furious about it.”

                “Wait. _That’s_ why she didn’t tell me?” Turles groaned. “And no, she didn’t tell me. I broke my fucking leg in the gravity room and when I came down to the med lab I saw the scans.”

                “I’m amazed you hadn’t figured it out by now, Turley. Hasn’t your beast been freaking out and wanting to take care of her every two seconds? Didn’t you recognize it in her scent?”

                Turles groaned again and nodded slowly. “Her scent seemed different, but I thought it was because she was ill… but yeah, my beast has been making me crazy… gods, I should have put two and two together… and I’m going to kill her when I finally get upstairs,” he added with a little growl.

                “The fuck you are, boy. You’re not going to stress that poor girl out any more than she already is, you understand me? If you’re going to confront her about it, you’re going to be a kind, loving, understanding mate, and you’re going to go up there and properly treat her like the mother of your brat.” Raditz paused and frowned. “You do want the brat, right?”

                Turles nodded slowly. It was well before he would have ever thought about having children, but shit happened when you least expected it. And he was determined to be a better father than Bardock had been; his father had always been away, fighting in various wars for the crown, and had left the raising of him to Raditz and his mother. The raising of Kakarot had fallen to himself and Raditz when Romayna had died giving birth to him, and Kakarot had in turn become a barely-there father for his own boys. It pissed him off to no end, honestly. “Yeah. I want it.”

                “Then I’d keep my mouth shut and not say anything to her. Let her tell you when she’s ready, boy. I’m sure she’ll tell you soon since she’ll be showing in a couple weeks.”

                “Alright. I’ll wait to say anything, then.” A million things were running through Turles’s mind right then from the food supply on the ship to the fact that Endymion was still tailing them, and he flopped back onto the exam table, grimacing when it jarred his leg. Then the most ridiculous thought popped into his head and he chuckled. “Gods… she’ll be showing when we dock on Vegeta-sai… her brother’s going to fucking strangle me.”

                Raditz laughed at that hysterically and nodded. “So glad I’m off his shit list! So, are you going to call him and tell him? Because I sure as hell ain’t doing it for you, boy!”

                “Hell no. Hopefully his first reaction when he sees her will be such naked shock that I can use that time to scoop her up and run like hell,” Turles replied with a chuckle. He eyed the scan and sputtered; at least it was a clean break like he’d thought, and he snapped the stick in half to bind the injury. “Ok, Raddy. Let me go. I have to hobble back up the stairs and see if Usa can heal me. I don’t want her getting out of the bed to come down here.”

                Once he hung up, he carefully made his way back to Usagi’s quarters, using the remainder of the sparring stick as a cane, taking frequent breaks on the stairs, trembling and pale from the pain as he rested against the wall.

                He couldn’t help but crack a tiny smile when he finally got to her doorway and found her blushing, her face the brightest red he’d ever seen it, her nose so close to the tablet that it was practically touching it. And the scent of her arousal was perfuming the air heavily, telling him exactly what kind of a scene she was reading in one of the books he’d brought her. “I hate to interrupt, sweetheart, but…” Turles chuckled when she jumped, squeaked, and hid the reader quickly under her pillow, turning an impossibly deeper shade of crimson. “Good book?” He asked knowingly.

                Usagi was about to stammer out an answer, but his grey complexion and the splint on his leg made her leap from the bed. “Turles, what happened!?”

                His beast reared up at seeing her move, and if he could have he would have dumped her back in the bed. “Lay back down,” he commanded firmly despite his weakness.

                She rolled her eyes and was at his side in a moment, kneeling before him and using her powers to heal the break in his leg. “It’s clean at least; that’s good,” she murmured as she finished up and removed the binding. “There. Better? Move it around for me and—“ She squealed in surprise when he scooped her up and carried her back to the bed, nestling her amongst the covers once more. “Turles, I’m fine, damn it! I’m not even bleeding anymore!” She snorted.

                Turles’s beast really licked his chops at that, and he glanced at her wrist to find her blood pressure totally fine. “Call Ami, then,” he purred.

                “Huh? Why?” Usagi asked in confusion.

                “Because I want you. Right _now_ ,” he whispered in her ear, giving it a little lick as he climbed on top of her. Just the knowledge that she was carrying his child was turning him on to no end, and as he captured her lips with his and unbuttoned the front of her gown, he wondered how in the hell he hadn’t noticed the subtle changes in her body. Her breasts were fuller, her hips had widened, and while she wasn’t showing noticeably, he could tell the difference in the swell of her belly as he slid the gown down her body.

                “Can’t… can’t call her if you’re…”

                Turles handed her his scouter before yanking off his shirt, still unsteady from the painkillers. But he didn’t care; he wanted her right then and there, everything else be damned.

                “Ami?” Usagi said quickly. “Yes, I’m fine. I just had a question…” She blushed and briefly glanced at Turles, who was licking his lips and looking down at her with nothing but sheer desire in his eyes. “Well… you see, I’m not bleeding and—ok, I’ll tell him. Thanks, Ami,” she said gratefully, hanging up the scouter and setting it to the side.

                “Well?” He asked impatiently, already unbuttoning his pants. Her little smirk and a tiny nod made him groan happily as his mouth crashed right back into hers, but that noise became one of frustration when she gently pushed him away. “What, woman? I want my mate, damn it!”

                “She said we have to be very careful, Turles, and that I can’t be on top. Is that ok? And if my cuff beeps for longer than a minute—“ Usagi was cut off with another toe-curling kiss, and she sighed in surrender as she melted into him.

                Finally, he broke the kiss and his mouth moved over her throat, his beast purring loudly at her scent, the scent that he now recognized as her pregnancy and was only making him insane with need for her. “Slow,” he whispered, “we’ll go slow, my mate… and I’ll make love to you properly.”

                Usagi could only let out a choked sound of pleasure as his mouth latched on to a nipple and suckled her gently; her breasts had become so sensitive lately that she actually felt herself spiraling upwards just from that sensation alone and she whimpered with need, rocking against him. “Turles… please… I need you now… please don’t tease me…”

                He sensed how close she was through the bond and latched onto her other nipple as his fingers travelled southward and stroked her once, then twice, making her cry out and cling to him, stiffening in his arms. “Mmm… that was fast, _r’sha_ … how was it?”

                “Amazing,” she sighed, reaching up to tug at his hips. “But I want more,” she admitted shyly. “Please?”

                “Oh, I believe I have plenty to give you, my mate… as much as you want,” his beast replied, his hand unconsciously caressing her stomach before moving up to one full, heavy breast. He grinned when she arched into his palm and tugged at his hips once more, her breathing ragged as he pressed his entry and he felt her tighten a little. “So sensitive today, aren’t we?” Turles purred, knowing full well why.

                They both sighed happily as he slowly buried himself inside of her, and if Usagi had been able to purr, she would have been, the sound twining with his own deep rattle of contentment. She moaned softly, her head tipped back in submission when he began to move inside of her slowly, gently flexing his hips as he kept an ear out for the tell-tale beeping of her blood pressure monitor. “Good?” He breathed in her ear, chuckling when she nodded , whimpered, and arched into him.

                But he was suddenly serious as his beast kept vying for control, and he finally bent his head to her shoulder. “Can I bite you, Usagi?”

                “Yes, **_please_** ,” she begged, threading her fingers through his hair, moaning deliriously as he moved just a little harder and scraped his teeth over her mating mark. Her cuff beeped then, just a warning, and she held him in place as she drug her own lips over his throat. “Please don’t stop, Turles… please… I _swear_ I’m fine—“ He bit her then and she cried out in pleasure as she immediately came, her cuff beeping louder as her heart rate increased and her blood pressure climbed, but they both ignored it for the moment since she was kissing and nipping at his shoulder.

                “Gods, yes, Rabbit… do it… _please_ do it,” Turles groaned, his own free hand mirroring hers and clutching at her blond mane. He lowered his ki to practically nothing for her so that she wouldn’t have to work for it, and the moment her teeth punctured his tanned skin he cried out in rapture, sinking his own into her mark once more while he erupted inside of her violently. _Dear gods… I don’t think I’ve ever come this hard in my life,_ he whimpered through the bond as she continued to bite down and she tightened around him in her own intense climax, still riding him through his pleasure with the rocking of her hips.

                _Me either,_ she agreed softly, her eyes rolling back as she peaked and stiffened again, biting down even harder.

                They finally released each other’s shoulders and Turles grinned down at her after a moment of respite. “Yeah… like you have hundreds of other orgasms to compare that one to,” he snickered. “Mmm… my innocent little rabbit… we’re going to have to give you many, many more… and soon.” Usagi smiled up at him and his expression softened as he sighed and kissed her still-bleeding mark. “Now that you’re mine, anyway.”

                “Yours,” she whispered solemnly, tracing the teeth marks she’d left on him. “I’d ask if you were sure, but…”

                “I would have told you to stop if I hadn’t been, sweetheart,” he replied solemnly. He blushed a little as he kissed her tenderly. “You know how I feel about you… _r’sha_.”

                Feeling how unused he was to that word, how it was slightly embarrassing for him to use even that much in conversation, Usagi was touched that he’d uttered it. “I know,” she whispered. “And you don’t have to say that L word, Turles. I can feel it… and that will always be enough for me.”

                “Thank you,” he sighed in relief, “because I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to say that word outside of general conversation, Rabbit.”

                “Typical Saiyan male,” she giggled. “You know?” She asked conspiratorially. “I got Gee-Gee to say it to me… twice.”

                “No shit? How in the hell did you manage that?” Turles asked in plain awe.

                “I cried,” she breathed in his ear. “I was really little, and I started crying because he wouldn’t say it to me.”

                Turles cackled at that and nuzzled her throat as he shook his head in wonder. “You bad girl, breaking a Saiyan warrior’s pride like that! I’ll bet that puppy didn’t even know what to do, he was so flustered at seeing a little blonde angel crying her heart out!”

                “He didn’t!” Usagi laughed hysterically. “Poor Gee-Gee! He rushed over and _hugged_ me! And he bends his face to my ear and growls out, ‘damn it girl, shut the fuck up before your mother thinks I’m beating your ass!’ And I kept crying, yelling, ‘but Gee-Gee, I don’t understand! Why don’t you love me!?’ And he says, ‘I do!’ And myself, ‘Well, then why won’t you say it!? If you don’t say it, you don’t love me, Gee-Gee!’”

                “So he said it?” Turles managed to gasp out through a fit of snickers.

                In a near-perfect imitation of her brother, she bent her mouth to Turles’s ear and rasped, “Girl, if you don’t shut the fuck up right now—ok! Ok, goddamnit Usa! I love you! I fucking **_love you_** , already! Now _shut the fuck up_ and stop all that damned blubbering! _Please_!”

                “OH DEAR GODS!” Turles cracked up, rolling onto his back to get his breath. “Don’t ever do that again, Rabbit, it’s so fucking creepy having his voice whispering in my ear!”

                Egged on by the creeped out feeling through the bond, Usagi chuckled softly in his ear, but in Vegeta’s voice. “You know, Turles… I’ve always been very attracted to space pirates… I don’t suppose you’d like to bend me over and—“

                “STAAAHP!” Turles yelled, not sure whether to laugh his ass off or go throw up. “Gods, woman, you are fucking diabolical! Don’t do that again or I’ll pin you down, feed you the Fruit of Might and tease you until you’re stupid with need!”

                “That sounds more like a bribe than a threat,” she said softly, suddenly not so intent on annoying him any longer. “Hm… you want me to go get one?” She asked mischievously.

                “Dear gods no,” Turles snorted, blocking out his worry about the baby growing even faster from a bite of the Fruit of Might. “Your blood pressure will sky rocket from that level of arousal and you’ll be stuck bearing through it without any relief if sex makes it go even higher.”

                “Maybe when I’m better,” Usagi giggled, stretching languidly before laying her head on his chest. “So… seriously…? What are we going to do about Geta?”

                Turles shook his head and shrugged. “Dunno. Tell him, I guess. Kind of hard to hide dual marks from your brother forever, Rabbit.” _Not to mention how round you’ll be by the time we land,_ he added silently. “Thank the gods I’m fast as fuck when I’m scared as hell. I might actually dodge the Garlick Gun he aims at my balls.”

                “I’ll handle Geta,” she offered softly. “He’d never hurt me… you can… I don’t know. Drop me off and run for the galactic hills until he cools off, maybe?”

                “Not a chance,” he snapped out a lot meaner than he’d meant. “You’re my mate now; I’m not leaving you like Father left Mother alone all the fucking time. That shit was just wrong.”

                Usagi couldn’t help but agree, but she knew that Bardock had his reasons. Still… she knew there was some bad blood between Bardock and his two oldest sons that was never spoken of; she’d known for years that Turles and Raditz resented him more than a little for taking off and leaving them to raise Kakarot. Raditz had been an adult though, and had taken it in stride. Turles had only been fifteen—still a baby himself—and bore the grudge a lot worse than his lighter-hearted older brother. “You know he loves you, Turles… he told Mako that when Romayna died he just… fell apart. He didn’t know how to cope, so he just ran away. I’m sorry,” she added quickly, snuggling into him tightly. “I know it’s not my business.”

                “It is, since you’re my mate… but I’d rather not discuss it anytime soon, Rabbit. There’s a lot of bad history there.”

                “I know, _r’sha_ … and I’m sorry. Maybe it’ll get better one day.”

                Turles nodded and planted a light kiss to her forehead, grateful that she’d dropped the subject. “Maybe. Get some sleep,” he sighed. “It’s getting late. I know I won’t sleep for shit without you in my bed, but…” He shrugged. “Better you’re in here until you’re well. If you’re in my bed I’ll likely wake you up in the middle of the night for sex and forget about your blood pressure,” he chuckled.

                “Mmm… some honeymoon,” she teased, giggling as she kissed his mark. “Go on, go get in your bed before I change my mind, Turles.”

                “I’ll wake you when we’re entering Kanassa’s orbit.”

#################################

                Usagi sat up sharply in the bed, pouring sweat, and immediately leapt from it, threw her door open and rushed down the hall. But she froze at the threshold of Turles’s room as she began to wake a little more, her body quaking in fear from the nightmare she was still half-dreaming. “Fuck it,” she whispered, not even reflecting on how much more colorful her language had become in the last few weeks. “I know he said to stay in my room but… he can kick me out if he wants… just so long as I know for sure…”

                She pushed open the door and squeezed inside, tiptoeing to the bedside and kneeling beside him. Gods, he was such a heavy sleeper, she couldn’t tell if he was breathing in the dark. _Just a quick look and then…_ A rush of air left her lungs as she placed her hand over his heart and felt his chest rise and fall. And there was no gaping wound there just under the covers, either, no feeling of dark, sticky blood seeping into the lines on her palms.

                She had just long enough to feel relieved before her hand was snatched from his chest and she jumped in surprise. “The hell, Rabbit?” Turles mumbled sleepily, blinking up at her in the dark. But then his Saiyan eyes caught sight of the tear tracks on her face, the state of her soaked nightgown, the scent of fear that clung to her like a rancid perfume. “Usa? What happened.” _Gods, please don’t let it be the baby._

                The tears came in volumes then as she threw herself into his arms and sobbed uncontrollably. “I—I was so—so scared… I—I dreamt that—that you w—were dead and—“

                He was too touched by her fear for his well-being to remember that she was supposed to be staying in her own room to keep his beast at bay, and sat up to tug the nightgown over her head before pulling her into the bed with him. “Shh… it’s ok, little rabbit. I’m fine and I’m a hell of a lot harder to kill than you think.” Trying to cheer her up, he chuckled a little bit at the thought. “Who killed me anyway, in this nightmare? Your mother, maybe? Did she slap me silly?”

                Usagi was not comforted by his levity in the least. “Father,” she whispered in terror. “He… he found out that… that…” She swallowed and felt more tears spilling down her face as she trembled in fear. “Turles… I’m pregnant.” Squeezing her eyes tightly shut at the sound of him sighing, Usagi shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she sobbed, “ _Please_ don’t be mad at me, I—I—I didn’t… didn’t know how to tell you, and I—I didn’t want y—you to feel like I was trying to—to trap you and—“

                Turles recovered surprisingly quickly thanks to his inner beast, simply amazed that she’d told him so quickly, and he tipped her head up to meet her eyes. “Rabbit. I already knew. And I’m not _mad_ … just… just shut up for a minute, ok? Shh… stop crying and just relax. We’ll think of something. I swear it.”

                She stopped talking, but there was nothing that would or could stop her from continuing to weep as she clung to him, desperate for some kind of answer or solution that would make everything better. And after what seemed like forever, he sighed, kissed her forehead and ran his hands soothingly up and down her back. “It is what it is. Go to sleep, sweetheart, we’ll figure it all out in the morning.” Turles ignored his beast and smacked it soundly when it roared at him to distract her with a few orgasms. _Not right now, you little bastard. Let me fucking think for five fucking minutes without you bossing me around._

                Usagi eventually cried herself to sleep, but when she woke and ran the whole conversation through her head, she sputtered silently into his chest. “How did you know?” She muttered, knowing full well that he was awake by the way he was purring softly.

                “The scans in the med lab when I broke my leg. It’s not important, though. What’s important is that you’re healthy and happy. We’ll get you properly examined by a midwife when we dock in an hour. And Usa?”

                “Hm?” She blinked sleepily at him when he tipped her head up and locked eyes with her.

                “No more secrets, alright? Open bond from now on. One thing I always swore to myself when I was younger was that I would never keep anything from my mate… and it goes the other way.” When she blushed and looked away, Turles lifted one dark eyebrow. “What, Rabbit? You’ve been keeping something else from me?” He asked incredulously.

                “I um…” She gave him a nervous, shaky smile and shook her head. “Not so much a secret… I mean, surely you knew, but…” When he just continued to wait, his expression blank and clearly expecting an answer, Usagi sighed. “I… um… I didn’t want you to look at my memories and see but… I had a crush on you for years. All of you, honestly. But you the most,” she admitted softly. “I didn’t plan this though, I swear it by the gods!” She added quickly, shaking her hands in front of her in denial.

                Turles chuckled after a moment and kissed the tip of her nose, smoothing his hands over her curves. “A crush, hm? But you didn’t know anything about sex, Rabbit. What in the hell could you have possibly fantasized about?”

                “Kissing,” she admitted shyly. “Lots and lots of kissing.”

                “Oh. Well, did I live up to the hype of your imagination, my mate?” Turles grinned when she blushed and nodded, pulling her flush on top of him. “Mmm… I’m flattered, Rabbit. And such a naughty little rabbit, too… fantasizing about the bad boy pirate.” He peeked at her memories and chuckled when he found some _very_ flattering thoughts in there. “Well, well… I’m starting to really like this open bond policy. Mmm… some naughty little fantasies from when you were fourteen… shall I steal you and carry you off and take you pirating with me?”

                “Gods, Turles, not that one!” Usagi squealed, trying to shut away the part of the bond he was using to access her memories. “I was just a kid!”

                “Heh… but Rabbit, it’s so much fun!” He teased, pulling her close to nip at her mark. “And in a lot of ways, you’re still a kid,” he purred in her ear. “But I have every intention of fixing that problem, sweetheart.”

                “Not funny,” she pouted into his chest. “Don’t pick on a teenager’s stupid little fantasies.”

                “Aw… did I hurt your feelings, Rabbit? Tell you what… I’ll go down to the gravity room, strip to my shorts, and you can spy on me working out like you used to do,” he breathed against her throat.

                Usagi’s head shot up at that and she stared at him with wide eyes. “You did not know about that!” She cried, slapping his chest. “ _Please_ tell me you didn’t actually know until you looked through the bond!?” His expression said it all and she found the answer she was looking for through the bond. “I’m so embarrassed,” she groaned, flopping down into her pillow to hide her red face.

                “Oh, come on, woman. You weren’t the only one. There was always Rei checking out Raditz and Mako looking at Father. All of you girls thought you were being discreet, when in fact we all made a point of stripping off more clothing than necessary. We thought you princesses could use the eye candy,” he snickered.

                Usagi decided to give him a taste of his own medicine and snorted into the pillow. “Some pirate you are… I’d always hoped you’d steal my first kiss, you know.”

                “Stole your heart, didn’t I? And your innocence. I think that’s good enough, don’t you?” He whispered in her ear, followed by a feathering of his lips down her throat and his tail across the backs of her thighs.

                She was still embarrassed, but she managed to lift her head and give him a tiny smile. “I always had this fantasy of you coming out of the training room hot and sweaty, dressed in almost nothing, and well… never mind,” she chuckled, laughing at her own naivety.

                “Oh, I can see it, Rabbit.”

                “ _Were you spying on me, little rabbit?”_

_“Um… uh… no? I was um… just waiting for Raditz. Geta wanted to ask him something and sent me to fetch him.”_

_Turles smirked down, leaning over her to trap her between the wall and his body, noting the way she kept glancing up, then away, her cheeks coloring brightly at the way he was looking down at her. “I have two questions for you, princess… why didn’t you ask Raditz anything when he left an hour ago? I know you were standing out here.”_

_“N—no I wasn’t!” She protested weakly, searching for a way out in vain; there was none and she was effectively trapped by a wall of solid, naked, sweaty muscle._

_“Yes you were. I could smell you, Rabbit. You were waiting on me, not my brother.”_

_Usagi trembled nervously as he leaned in closer, close enough to feel his breath ghosting over her lips. “I should probably go…”_

_“Nah. No need for that, little rabbit. Besides, I had **two** questions, remember?” Turles whispered, stopping just short of his nose touching hers. _

_“And the second?” She squeaked, her eyes darting back and forth as she sought a way out of that incredibly nerve-wracking position._

_“Have you been kissed yet?” He chuckled as she shook her head slightly and closed the gap just enough to brush the tip of his nose over hers, his chest rumbling in a gentle purr. “Well… I wouldn’t be much of a pirate if I didn’t steal a princess’s first kiss, would I?”_

_“Um—“ Usagi was cut off by a rush of heat as his lips captured hers slowly, pressing and moving over hers lazily as she felt a warm, calloused hand cup her cheek and an arm around her waist drew her flush against his rippled chest._

“Damn Rabbit… you sure can dream vividly,” Turles purred. “That actually got me kind of hard.”

                Still thoroughly embarrassed that he’d actually looked, Usagi just groaned into her pillow and shook her head.

                “Rabbit, look at me,” Turles ordered gently, running his fingers idly through her hair while his tail continued dipped between her legs to stroke her heat. When she nervously made eye contact with him, cheeks burning, he gave her a little smile. “I hate to admit that I was fantasizing about jailbait, but I had some pretty vivid daydreams about you as well.” Never mind that most of the Saiyan army did, she was his and _that’s_ what mattered. “You can look if you want, Usa… I don’t mind in the slightest.”

                “Have you had any since I was no longer jailbait?” She asked curiously.

                “Oh, I’ve averaged at least one a day from the time you boarded to the time I found you in my quarters eating my fruit,” he admitted wryly. “Most of them involved a huge amount of seduction while I fucked you senseless on the bridge in my captain’s chair.”

                Surprising herself, Usagi smiled a little and tipped her head towards the door. “I can definitely make that one happen if you’d like.”

                “Shit! I wish you’d said something before we were about to dock, Rabbit! I mean, we could still give it a go, though, if you don’t mind your ass pressed against the windshield for everyone to see.” Turles laughed when she slapped his arm, and he purred loudly as he drug her over for a long, slow kiss, with every intention on claiming her right then.

He was about to roll on top of her when a loud noise came over the intercom, and he sighed at the sound of it. “Damn it,” he sputtered, rolling out of bed and yanking his pants on hurriedly. “We’re about to enter Kanassa’s atmosphere, Rabbit. I need to get on the controls. Computer! Auto-pilot for a moment longer.”

“Yes, Captain. Be advised, we are in close range of another craft. Caution is recommended to avoid a collision in the atmosphere.”

“Another craft…? Computer, is that craft behind us and called The Golden?” Turles asked quickly as he tossed Usagi her nightgown and hurried to his pilot’s chair.

“Yes, Captain.”

Turles grinned savagely at that as he strapped himself in and pulled up all the cameras on the ship to get a view of the ship behind them. “Computer?”

“Yes Captain?”

Turles waved Usagi into the co-pilot’s chair and waited until she was strapped in securely before giving his next order. “Fire all.”


	7. Chapter 7

_"Fire all."_

"TURLES! ARE YOU NUTS!?" Usagi screamed just as a huge explosion from behind them rocked the entire spacecraft.

"I mated with  _you_ , didn't I?" He asked calmly, shooting her an excited piratey grin. "Hang on, sweetheart, you're about to see just why The Darling isn't the fastest craft in the quadrant. My darling!?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"Reload," he purred, keeping an eye on the ship behind him and the smoking trails from one of its engines. "I want to ground her as quickly as possible, so aim for his engines and his transmission." Turles jumped a little and Usagi more than a little when the high-pitched whistle of returning fire was heard and The Darling shuddered under the impact. "Brace yourself, beautiful, we'll be fine, but he hit my landing gear. It's going to be bumpy when we land."

Flipping switches to compensate for the change in airflow without his landing gear, Turles was the definition of calm as he continued to give the computer orders, and once he was only five-thousand feet above the ground he began to maneuver, dodge, and return fire skillfully. "Darling, I want reloads at the ready, and then I want you to immediately fire all once more."

"Yes, Captain."

"Usagi, you ok?" He could hear her cuff beeping, and he frowned deeply, glancing over to find her blood pressure dangerously high. "Relax, Rabbit. I want you to take some deep breaths for me and calm down, alright? Look at me. I'm totally calm, right?" With her eyes squinted and her knuckles white, Usagi gripped her chair and nodded. "Sweetheart, if I'm calm, there is nothing to worry about. Start worrying if you see me panic," he instructed. "And hang on, because I'm going to have to go vertical," he warned tersely.

"Just hurry up!" She yelled at him in what was becoming complete and total panic. Usagi didn't hear much else except for crashing, shuddering and explosions while she hung onto her armrests for dear life and screamed her head off like a little kid on his first rollercoaster. Turles was flipping them, climbing vertically, barrel-rolling—firing the entire time while they took some fire in return. But not nearly as much fire as The Golden took from The Darling's missile launchers.

No wonder the damned thing was so slow! Turles had enough fucking ammunition on The Darling to blow Vegeta-sai to Hell and back! And they were picking up speed as Turles commanded the computer to continue firing, staggering the shots so that it was practically a constant barrage of missiles as the ship reloaded itself and fired the next shot simultaneously.

Usagi finally snapped out of it when she heard Turles yell her name, nearly screaming it at her in what sounded like a hint of actual panic. "What!?" She whimpered loudly, eyes still squeezed shut.

"Help me out, damn it!" He growled at her, trying not to get nasty with her due to her condition and her state of terror. "The radio; damn it woman!"

It was then that she actually listened and heard a transmission coming through. "This is the Kanassan Airguard. Land immediately and surrender your hostage, or we will be forced to open fire and ground you."

Usagi's eyes went wide at that. "But I'm  _not_  a hostage!"

"NO SHIT! Tell  _them_  that! Obviously that little shit put out a mayday and made it look like I stole you from him! Get on the fucking horn, Usa! Before they put us down!"

With a surge of courage, Usagi ignored the rocking and rolling of the ship and snagged the mic from the dash. "I'M NOT A HOSTAGE, DAMN IT! This is Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, and Captain Turles is in the employ of my brother to bring me safely to Vegeta-sai! Disengage at once! Or take out the ship firing upon us!"

"Prince Endymion says that you might say something like that under duress, Highness. How can we be sure that you're telling the truth?" A voice responded.

"Call my fucking BROTHER if you don't believe me!" She shouted furiously. "And I swear by the gods that if you fire upon us, this planet will know the wrath of King and Prince Vegeta! Do you understand me!?"

There was a long pause—presumably the pilots of the Airguard were discussing the threat of a Saiyan retaliation amongst themselves—but the man's voice eventually came back on the radio just as Turles was firing all for the third time on The Golden, spiraling towards the ground in an attempt to shake him. "Both ships will land immediately and all passengers and pilots will surrender themselves for questioning and a search so that we can sort this out. Disregarding this order will result in being forcibly grounded."

"Understood," Usagi replied calmly. "Turles, take us down?"

"It'll have to be on water," he ground through his teeth, not too happy with being searched. He had a good bit of illegal goods in the hold and he knew he'd have to answer for those.

"I'll handle it," Usagi whispered to him before getting back on the radio. "Please guide us to a suitable water landing, gentlemen. Since the asshole behind us decided to take out my escort's landing gear."

Turles sagged against the dash as he downed The Darling in the capital city, at the main docking sight, which also happened to be a very large lake. "Dear gods, I haven't been in a dogfight like that in years. I need a drink," he concluded. "Fuck your brother's orders not to drink with you aboard, I am getting fucking wasted tonight."

"Hell, I'd have a few with you if it weren't for the baby," Usagi admitted shakily.

"How's your BP?" Turles asked suddenly, turning his head from where he had it buried in the console to check her cuff. "Good," he sighed.

"Please disembark at once," a guard ordered over the radio.

"If you would give us a moment," Usagi asked sweetly, "I am not dressed appropriately to exit the ship. I was woken quite rudely when Endymion fired upon us."

"That's not the story he's telling, Highness. I suggest you get out here now," the guard advised.

"Of course it's not," Usagi snorted. "Tell me, are his eyes turning brown? Because I assure you he's full of shit. Now… I will be returning to my quarters to put on something besides a transparent nightgown, and then I will gladly join you on the dock. Unless you'd like me to tell Geta how the Kanassan Airguard forced me outside and ogled my tits."

"Damn, baby. You are sexy as fuck when you get all haughty and vicious," Turles purred. "Think they'd wait long enough for us to have a quickie?"

"What's a quickie?" Usagi asked curiously, fluffing her hair in thought.

"Aaaaand, she's back," Turles chuckled. "Go get dressed, little rabbit. I don't mind them seeing me half-naked."

"No, help me really quick, I'm still a little shaky," she admitted. "And you should get something on to cover the bite mark," she added as they made their way into her quarters. "Tell me," she asked as she found an appropriate dress that she could wear without her corset, "were we nearly out of ammo?"

"Hell no. I could have fired all another dozen times before I would have started to worry, but I've never had to fire that much before. Usually my load's lightened so much by then that I can make an easy getaway," he snickered, finding a semi-clean muscle shirt on her floor and yanking it over his head.

"So that's why this ship is so slow. All the ammunition."

"I've made quite a name for myself that way, you know. Blow everyone and everything to Hell and back, then get the fuck out before reinforcements arrive. Any ship I'm jacking knows that I'm the most heavily armed pirate ship in the quadrant," he explained proudly. When Usagi giggled and shook her head, he nipped at her mark through the dress. "Those who fire and run away, live to steal another day."

"Ah. Your motto?" She asked as he escorted her below towards the hatch, pulling a pen from her subspace and waving it at the stacks of cargo lashed down securely.

"Yes, my mate. It is. Not today, though. I'm actually making a clean run for once. Mostly, anyway." Turles opened the hatch then, and immediately growled and stepped in front of Usagi when the Kanassan guards leveled blasters at them both. "You get your sights off the princess, or things are going to get very fucking messy," he warned.

A very disheveled Endymion stepped out from behind the guards and smirked at Turles smugly. "You can drop the defensive act now, pirate. We all know damn well who she's engaged to. You stole her from me, and I want her returned immediately."

"Like  _ **hell**_!" Usagi shouted, shoving past her mate, daring the guards with a single glare to fire on her as she stomped forward. A single crack was heard, and Turles and the guards all leapt forward to stop Endymion when he lunged at the princess, a bright red handprint on his cheek. "You asshole!" She shouted, the crescent on her forehead burning brightly in her anger. "You stole me and you know it! Geta contracted Turles to get me off the moon and bring me to where I'd be safe from  _ **you**_!"

"She's lying!" The prince shouted right back, trying like hell to escape the grasp of the guards. He broke free after some earnest struggling, and the very moment he darted forward and reached for Usagi, he was pinned to the ground in a flash of golden light with a snarling, teeth-baring Saiyan holding him by the throat.

"Touch her and I will crush your windpipe," Turles growled softly. "She's mine, you understand me?"

Usagi facepalmed and let out a little rush of air, sputtering the moment Turles uttered those words and the guards and Endymion all turned their eyes to her expectantly. She'd been about to comment on Turles's sudden, unexpected transformation to Super Saiyan, but noooo, he'd just felt the urge to reveal their pairbonding to the entire fucking planet. And Vegeta, once word got out. And it would. "Goddamnit, Turles," she muttered, sounding just like her brother.

Under all the stares, Usagi sighed in surrender and bared her mating mark, cringing at the sound of muttering among the crowd of guards. "I'd much prefer to inform my brother of my choice of a mate on my own, thank you," she stated firmly. "I don't think he'd be very pleased to hear it from third parties."

"He forced you! I know he did!" The prince of the Earth shouted indignantly. "Usa, you can't be fucking serious! He's making you lie or something, right?"

"I don't lie well, Endymion. You know that," Usagi sighed. "And Turles didn't force me into anything. We're fully mated. Get over it."

A single brave—or extremely stupid—guard stepped forward and slowly, carefully reached for Turles's shirt, his hands held out in a gesture of peace. That and a word from Usagi were the only two things that kept the Saiyan from ripping off the guard's hand, and he let him pull his shirt to the side to bare his own mark. "She wouldn't have returned the mark if she'd been forced," the guard said knowingly.

An older guard stepped forward and regarded the scene before him seriously for a moment before turning to the princess. "Highness, we apologize for the misunderstanding. What would you have us do with Prince Endymion?"

 _Let me have him,_ r'sha _,_ Turles growled through the bond.

"No, Turles," Usagi sighed. "You know I can't do that… as much as I'd like to," she added wryly. "No… please put his ship in impound, and have a military escort return him to his father. And explain to King Aeolian exactly what happened and that his heir is banned from returning to my kingdom; it would be greatly appreciated." Kneeling next to Turles, she caressed his face gently and kissed his cheek. "You can let him go,  _r'sha_ … he won't hurt me with you right here," she whispered gently.

"He better not," Turles replied with a dangerous little snarl, letting go of the prince's throat and absorbing the ki blast that he didn't even remember forming in his hand. "Get him out of here before I crush his royal balls," he ordered the guards.

Endymion was either cowardly enough or smart enough to not move towards the princess, but he always had to have the last word. "I never took you for a whore, Usagi. Now I know why—" A crack was heard as Turles simply broke his jaw, followed by a ki blast through the chest of one of the prince's personal guards when he stepped forward with his sword in hand.

"Anyone else want to comment on my mate's honor?" Turles asked softly.

"Damn it, we can't send him back like that," Usagi sighed. "Hold still if you know what's good for you, Endymion." She healed his jaw quickly, shooting Turles a warning glance when he growled at her, and quickly retreated when she was done.

"You killed Yamcha, you stupid monkey asshole!" Endymion yelled.

"Someone please get him out of here before Turles breaks more than his jaw!?" Usagi shouted at the guards, who quickly moved forward and seized him. "Take his bodyguards too, please," she added after a moment.

"And find a doctor for my mate," Turles chimed in commandingly. "I want her examined to make sure she wasn't hurt during the dogfight." His scouter rang then, and he cringed at the sight of Vegeta when he put it on. "Yes, Highness?"

"I heard that there was an aerial battle," Vegeta said quickly, clearly trying not to let his deep worry show. Then he blinked and stared at Turles for a long moment. "Goddamnit, Turles! Another one of you fuckers from the House of Bardock went Super Saiyan!? Gods, it's like a Super Saiyan bargain sale!"

"I got pissed when Endymion tried to strike Usagi," he answered flatly; at any other time he would have been gloating, but his beast had a pretty tight rein on everything at that very moment. "She's fine. I've already ordered the Kanassan Airguard to find her a doctor to look her over. The little prick is being taken back with an escort and will be returned to his father."

"Good to hear. Both of you are uninjured?"

"Yes, Highness, thank you. But The Darling is going to need new landing gear and some more ammo; I fired all three times and a constant barrage of missiles while I was trying to shake him. I estimate we'll be stuck here at least a week while the necessary repairs are made."

"Damn it," Vegeta sighed. "Fine. Make sure you call Ami regarding Usagi's health, and then myself once she's been examined," he ordered.

"Yes, Highness." He hung up then and scooped his mate into his arms, carrying her back inside the ship before anyone could comment further on their status as a pairbond.

Feeling how deeply his beast was in control, Usagi didn't protest the action, and drew him into her arms the moment he laid her down in his bed. "Calm down, love," she whispered, "I'm just fine, and I'm sure that the baby is, too. Can you sense his ki yet?"

Turles nodded slightly after a moment of searching and visibly sagged in relief when he found it strong and bright; a lot stronger than it should have been for its short time in the womb, too. "Damn Fruit of Might's going to make him a strong little warrior," he mused. "The computer said that that's why he's growing a little faster than normal, by the way."

Usagi blinked, then slowly nodded. "Makes sense… I don't know why I hadn't thought of that. Mmm… our strong little prince," she chuckled, stroking a hand absently over her stomach. She saw Turles blanch and quirked a brow. "You ok?"

"Usa…" Turles swallowed and shook his head a little. "I don't think it'd be much of a surprise to  _anyone_  we know, but… I'm not really cut out to be a king."

She giggled at that and shook her head before leaning up to press her mouth to his. "We're a matriarchal society, Turles. I'm the one that does the ruling. You would basically… oh, I don't know. You'd do what Geta does now for Father." Usagi sighed and sent him a wave of love through the bond when he frowned deeply and she felt his self-consciousness over it all. "Anything you want to learn how to do, Turles, I'll teach you. Ok? It's honestly not that hard. And," she added quickly, "if you don't  _want_  to be a king… I'll think of something." She sighed as she felt how troubled he suddenly was, and prayed to the gods that he wasn't thinking of taking off on her the moment he dropped her off with Geta.

"No, Rabbit," Turles assured her softly, absently stroking the back of his hand over the tiny, bright ki in her womb. "It's just that being mated and being a father are both big enough responsibilities as it is… and I wasn't quite ready for either, woman. But now… I'm going to be a king, too."

Usagi sat up and shushed him when he growled at her for moving as she ran her fingers comfortingly through his hair and his tail. "One thing at a time, Turles." There was a buzzer just then on the com, and Turles made her lie back down before going down to the hatch to answer it.

"Hotaru!?" Usagi asked in surprise when she stepped into the room.

The princess of Saturn beamed and immediately rushed to the bed to hug the moon princess. "Ami called and asked for me since she knew I was on Kanassa." A questioning look from both Usagi and Turles made her huff and roll her eyes. "I'm sort of trying to outrun a certain Saiyan dumbass," she explained. "Your nephew, to be specific. Damn man simply can't take no for an answer."

"Heh… I didn't realize Gohan was so persistent," Turles snickered. "Well… you'd best be careful, because his Uncle Raditz taught him a thing or three about women, and he's awfully fast, too. Outrunning him is going to be quite the task."

"You don't say? Well… I must be better at hide and seek than I thought, since I've been outrunning his nerdy ass for over three weeks." She grinned as she focused on Usagi's body with her healing powers and slowly shook her head. "Besides… I shouldn't be the one you're worried about, Turles… since it's your cock on the chopping block the moment Vegeta finds out about this little bundle of joy."

"Don't remind me," he sighed. "Are Usagi and the brat alright, at least?"

Hotaru nodded. "Yup, both of them are perfectly healthy. I'd say that the baby's due in about… oh, four months, maybe a little less, judging on growth. Saiyan pregnancies only run six months, right?" She nodded when Turles confirmed that, and she pointed to Usagi scouter. "Go ahead and call Ami, then. I can sense Gohan getting closer and I'd like to avoid him at all costs."

With that, she was gone in a flash of purple light, and Usagi giggled as she donned her scouter. "Heya, Ami, Hota says that the—what's wrong?" She asked slowly, immediately frowning.

"We um… we have a bit of a problem, Usa… it's… HEY! Damn it, Vegeta, that's MINE!"

Turles clearly read the "oh fuck me running" expression on Usagi's face and felt like throwing up the moment he heard Vegeta screaming at his sister in Saiyan, Lunarian, Common and several other languages, and the pirate wished to the gods that his ship was up and running so they could take off. "We are so screwed, aren't we, Rabbit?"

Usagi nodded slightly, wide-eyed as her brother continued to curse colorfully without even repeating himself a single time.  _He knows… I don't know how much you understood of all of that, but… someone squealed._

_I'll see if I can't get some black market landing gear and have us ready to leave in two or three days._

"I can see that glaze in your eyes, Usagi! I know you're talking to him! Don't you dare fucking ignore me, do you hear me, girl!?"

Usagi licked her lips and took a deep, calming breath when she heard her blood pressure cuff begin to beep. "Geta… you're stressing me out. Call me back when you're calm." Click. She looked up at her mate and sighed heavily. "You'd better hurry,  _r'sha_ … he's sending Raditz to come get me in the fastest ship he can find… Nappa's coming with him to take you prisoner, under Father's orders," she added fearfully.

"Over my dead body," Turles growled softly.


	8. Chapter 8

Usagi’s cuff kept beeping as she sat on his bed silently, staring blankly ahead. The only movement she made was a constant, gentle stroking of her hand back and forth over the tiny bump of her belly, and the way the mental link between them was simply blank was beginning to worry her mate.

                “Usagi?” Turles pushed down his monster’s rage over the fact that Nappa was coming to take him away in ki-dampening cuffs, and sat down beside his mate to run his hands through her hair and nuzzle her mark.

                “The dream I had last night,” she finally whispered. “You… you said the same thing in it, too, you know… ‘over my dead body.’ And Father… he took you at your word, Turles. No,” she added quickly, when he opened his mouth to speak. “They don’t know about the baby. Endymion likely got ahold of a com and called Vegeta or Father…” She reached into her subspace and pulled out a black, plastic card and held it out, her other hand still gently running back and forth over her stomach. “Take this, find the lightest, fastest ship you can…” She swallowed and tried to keep herself from crying, but tears spilled out and down her face despite her efforts. “I want you to go. As fast as you can, Turles… I want you to run and leave me here, and I’ll deal with my family when they arrive.”

                “No, Usa. I’ll run if you want. But if I do, you’re coming with me. I might be a lowlife pirate and smuggler, and running might be my thing, but… not from this. You’re my mate, and that’s my son.” Turles nipped at her mark and lowered his voice to murmur softly against her throat, fighting to stay calm so as not to further stress her out. “ _R’sha_.”

                “I love you too,” she replied in a whisper. “But I won’t see you harmed… or worse. It was my fault that all of this started anyway, and I won’t have you solely blamed for it all. If I go with you, they’ll pursue us. But if I stay here, Turles… there stands a chance that I can convince Geta to leave you alone.”

                Turles growled a little at that and turned her face so he could meet her eyes, his hand lightly stroking over her cheek. “Woman, I may not be the most responsible man in the quadrant, but I’ll never stoop so low as to hide behind my pregnant mate and run like a fucking coward. Pirate or not, I’m not running unless you’re coming with me. And to even suggest it is a slight to my honor.”

                “I didn’t mean it that way,” she whispered, her lower lip trembling as more tears spilled from her eyes. “I just don’t want Father to kill you. I love you, Turles.”

                Those last four words— coupled with the purest love he’d ever felt pouring through the bond—undid him, and Turles cut off her next words with a long, slow, passionate kiss, tipping her back onto the bed as his hands began to wander her and he tried to convey his own love for her through the bond and the motions of his body. “You too,” he finally replied as he broke the kiss to move to her throat, feathering his lips over a spot he knew that always made her gasp with pleasure. “Relax,” he whispered, his chest hitching and vibrating in a rich, dark, seductive purr. “I want to make love to my mate.”

                Turles had just slid her dress down to her waist when the com suddenly went off, and he snapped back to Super Saiyan in his anger at being interrupted. It figured, just when he’d finally gotten her relaxed and that cuff had stopped beeping, someone had to knock at the hatch. “Hold that thought,” he sighed.

                He wasn’t totally surprised to find the royal Kanassan guards on the screen just above the hatch, and he rolled his eyes and snorted. “Seriously?” He asked through the intercom. “You really think you can take a Super Saiyan.”

                “We’re under orders from the king,” one of them replied sternly. “And we’ve been asked to bring you back to the palace until a Saiyan Elite arrives to take custody of you.”

                “Hang on one moment,” Turles replied seriously, pulling out his scouter. “Really Vegeta?” He ignored a tirade of insults laced with creative swears he’d never even thought of, and when the prince took a break to draw breath, the pirate silenced him. “You’d risk your sister’s blood pressure climbing even further by letting them take me into custody?”

                “She’ll live, damn it!”

                “But the brat might not!” Turles snapped out furiously. “If you separate us, I guarantee you that Usagi will lose my son, and I don’t care if you’re stronger than me or not, Vegeta. If my mate loses our son, I will call down the entire House of Bardock on your selfish, egomaniacal ass, and heaven help the bastards that stand between me and the revenge I’ll take on you.”

                Vegeta was stark white by the end of that and he swallowed slowly before opening his mouth. “Usagi’s with brat?”

                “Yes, she is. It wasn’t on purpose, but shit happens. Just like me taking her happened completely, totally unexpectedly. Now, if you don’t mind… call off the fucking cavalry and let your sister rest and relax.”

                After regaining his mental balance a little bit, Vegeta bared his teeth and snarled. “If I don’t kill you for this, Turles… my father will.” Click.

                “Darling, raise all shields. Divert ninety percent power to them while we’re docked.”

                “Yes, Captain.”

                Usagi’s cuff was beeping again when he returned, and Turles regarded her seriously as he sighed in frustration. “Your brother knows about the brat, now.” He expected crying and despair, but the way her eyes narrowed and glinted with determination surprised him. “Rabbit?”

                She donned her scouter and held up a hand to silence Turles. “Raditz. You’re en route, yes? I need you to make an excuse to—yes, exactly,” she said with a little smile. “Ah, I love our big brother,” she chuckled as she hung up. It rang immediately after and she sighed. “Knew this was coming.” She continued to let it ring as she gave Turles a nervous little smile. “Wanna bet with me? My father, my mother, or my brother?”

                “Your father,” Turles snorted.

                “My mother,” Usa grinned. “What do I get if I win?”

                A single obsidian brow rose at that and he looked her up and down. “Turn it off after the call and I’ll pick up where I left off. And me?”

                “I’ll turn it off and… well…” She blushed and looked away. “You’ll see.”

                “Alright… I like surprises,” he chuckled. “Go ahead and answer it.”

                Usagi hit the button and before greeting the person on the screen, she looked around the viewfinder and winked at Turles. “I win.”

                “You win what?” Serenity asked seriously.

                “We were betting on who would call next. Could you do me a favor and refrain from screaming at me, Mother? I just got this cuff to stop beeping for the fourth time.”

                Usagi watched her mother close her eyes and take a deep, calming breath. It was only a full minute later that she opened them and continued to frown at her daughter. “How are you feeling, and how is the baby? Is he healthy?”

                “Yes, Mother, thank you. So far he’s healthy, but he’s growing a little too fast. Turles said that it’s due to the Fruit of Might. And Mother… I’ve very sorry if this has upset you,” Usagi added solemnly. “But it’s done and over with, and there’s no taking it back.”

                “You’re right about that. But Usa… darling. A pirate? Really!?” Serenity huffed.

                Usagi snickered and rolled her eyes. “But Mother… a king that’s knocked up half the solar system? Really!?”

                “Damn it all to hell, you’ve got me there,” Serenity muttered. “So… please just explain something to me. How in the gods’ names did this even happen?” When her daughter turned beet red and her cuff gave a loud warning beep, her mother just sighed. “Just tell me, Usa, and don’t be embarrassed about it.”

                “Well…” Usagi swallowed and glanced at Turles, who gave her a little nod and gesture to continue. “I was hungry, you see… and there wasn’t anything sweet left on the ship… and Turles has this huge bowl of fruit in his room. So I thought he wouldn’t miss just one, right? So… I ate it. Or rather, only half of it.”

                “The Fruit of Might seems to have some very _strange_ effects on Lunarians,” Turles supplied loud enough for the queen to hear. “And she was in heat on top of it all.”

                “It wasn’t done on purpose, Mother,” Usagi whimpered. “I swear it wasn’t.”

                Serenity’s lips actually twitched up in a smile and she sighed. “Not the first time that stomach of yours has gotten you into trouble, dear.”

                “Yeah… but this is a little different than filching cookies from Cook and getting whacked with a wooden spoon.” Usagi sighed and fluffed her hair in frustration. “Mother, I hate to ask but… could you talk some sense into Geta and Daddy? Please?”

                The queen echoed her daughter’s sigh and nodded. “You love him, dearest?”

                “With all my heart.”

                The sad, yet lovesick smile on her daughter’s face did her in, and Queen Serenity nodded. “We’ll put off the coronation, then, especially with you being in your current condition. And frankly, you do deserve a bit of a honeymoon. Do you still have that black credit card I gave you for emergencies?”

                “Yes, Momma.”

                “Good. It has no limit. Do whatever it is you need to do to get off of Kanassa and out of the boys’ range. Don’t worry about the expense…” Serenity grinned a little at that and winked. “…but tell Turles that I’m taking it out of your dowry.”

                “I’ve got everything I need right here, Majesty,” Turles rumbled off screen. “And I thank you for your support.”

                “Turles, you do love my daughter, right?” Serenity added, knowing he could hear her over the speaker. “This wasn’t just some crazy-ass beast-taking-over moment, was it?”

                “I won’t lie. It was at first… but now… it’s more. We’re fully pairbonded, Majesty. That’s your answer right there.”

                He could practically hear the queen rolling her eyes at that statement. “Yet another Saiyan male that can’t say the ‘L’ word. You’d think they were afraid of their dicks falling off or something for simply saying it once, wouldn’t you agree, Usagi?”

                “I can feel it through the bond, Momma. That’s enough for me,” the princess replied softly, happiness flooding her at her mother’s total and utter acceptance of their union.

                “And I guess that’ll have to be enough for me as well. I’ll handle the boys, Usagi. You concentrate on giving me a healthy grandchild and get the hell out of the Eastern quadrant as fast as you can. I’ll call you tomorrow or if your brother’s on his way.”

                “What about Daddy?”

                “Oh, sweetheart…” Serenity just chuckled and shook her head. “Gods, I knew I’d sheltered you too much. But let me put it this way… I have ways of making your dad do whatever the hell I want him to, and all of them involve him squealing like a piggy.”

                “Maybe she could teach you a few of them,” Turles snickered.

                “Don’t get fresh, young man. And Usa… if you want to learn anything, I suppose you now have my permission to speak with your cousin,” Serenity added with a bit of a grin. She looked to the side and her grin widened. “And the king has entered the building, my dear. Let mommy dearest handle this.” With a wink she hung up, leaving Usagi blushing and Turles laughing hysterically.

                Turles sobered quickly though and grabbed his own scouter. “I hope your mother meant what she said about carte blanche on that credit card.” Calling someone he hadn’t spoken to in over a decade, Turles was honestly surprised that this particular contact actually answered.

                “Turles…?”

                He wasn’t surprised to hear suspicion, either. “Bojack. I know we’re not on the best of terms, but—“

                “That’s putting it lightly,” the other pirate snorted. “And it’s either a trap of sorts… or you’re so desperate that it’s made you insane if you’re calling me. Especially after that bullshit you pulled on me twelve years ago.”

                “Hey, I apologized, didn’t I!? And I paid to repair all the damage to your ship, too!”

                “You also took off with half the women on my ship,” Bojack replied tersely.

                “Yeah, I did! Gods, that was an awesome week… but that won’t happen again; I’m mated now. Besides… you know that most of them were after Raditz,” he added sheepishly.

                That seemed to pique the other pirate’s interest and he lifted a brow. “Turles, the great Saiyan pirate, is mated? To whom?”

                “Princess Serenity of the moon kingdom,” Turles replied smoothly. “Which is why I need your help.”

                “Help? Fuck me running upside down… you don’t need my **_help_** , boy. You’re going to need a fucking body bag when her male relatives catch you.”

                “Going to need more than that when Father finds out I’m pregnant,” Usagi added loudly enough for Bojack to hear.

                His blue eyes widened a bit at that and he just shook his head in wonder. “Damn if you monkeys ain’t got some fucking _balls_ ,” he muttered. “Even if they _are_ going to be removed from your body shortly.” Bojack blinked when Turles suddenly disappeared from his screen and was replaced by the most stunningly beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. “Holy… no **_wonder_** he couldn’t keep it in his pants. Princess Serenity, I presume?”

                Usagi nodded and smiled. “It’s good to meet you, Bojack. Your reputation as a pirate precedes you… which is why Turles called you first.”

                “Sorry, princess, but I’m not suicidal. To aid Turles would be to court Vegeta’s wrath. And I’m definitely not into courting _anything_ about your darling brother,” Bojack said flatly. “Again, my apologies, but—oh **_come on_**. Gimme a break, gorgeous! Don’t start crying!” He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose as he took a deep breath.

                “Please,” Usagi whispered, “ _please_ help us get out of the quadrant, Bojack. I’ll give anything, you can _name your price_. If you won’t do it for Turles, do it for our son. I’m having blood pressure problems, and if Vegeta shows up and I get too angry or upset, I could very well lose the baby.”

                “Princess, there ain’t much you could pay me with for this sort of thing,” he sighed in reply.

                “Bojack, I’ll give you a piece of my fruit,” Turles interjected quickly. “They’re priceless and you know it.”

                Orange eyebrows shot up at such an insanely high offer, but Bojack’s surprise was short-lived as his greedy piratey instincts kicked in. “Make it three.”

                “Two,” Turles ground out through his teeth. “And for that, you’d better buy my landing gear, too.”

                “Damn. You must really love this woman,” Bojack said in wonder. There was a pause and the mated couple heard some beeps. “Course is charted. I’ll be there in about twelve hours. But my biggest question… how in the hell am I going to help you repair your ship without interference from the Kanassan guards?”

                “I’ll handle that!” Usagi said brightly. “Momma gave me this pen that disguises anything; the guards didn’t board the Darling, but I used it on Turles’s cargo just in case. I’ll just do the same with the ship! Just call me when you’re about to dock and I’ll take care of it.”

                “Gods, I can’t believe I got hosed into this,” Bojack muttered to himself before signing off.

                Usagi turned off her scouter and smiled up at Turles, who was licking his lips and clearly waiting for her to tell him to continue where they’d left off. “Do we have to continue in here?”

                Turles blinked at that but then slowly smiled. “Wherever my princess wishes.”

                “Good answer,” she chuckled, taking him by the hand. She led him to the bridge and immediately shoved him into the pilot’s chair after yanking down his pants.

                “Damn, Rabbit. I thought you won the bet, not me.” That was when she knelt before him, and it was like someone had instantly flipped a switch in his body that had him go from barely aroused to rock hard in an instant. And for once, it was his turn to feel nervous as she looked up at him with those big, innocent blue eyes. “Usa… you… you don’t have to…”

                “Don’t you want me to?” She whispered, lightly brushing her fingers over him. “I saw in your head, where you’d wanted me to do this. And those books you got for me, the women in them…” She instantly blushed at the thought of those books, but leaned forward with intent.

                Turles immediately gripped the armrests of the chair when he felt her warm breath caress him, and the moment her tongue tentatively flicked the head of his cock, he moaned softly. “Rabbit…”

                “Did… did that…?”

                “Gods yes,” he whispered desperately, gently guiding her head back towards him when she pulled back a little, fighting every urge he had to bunch his hand in her hair and shove himself down her throat. His breath hitched when her tongue made another tiny appearance and slowly ran over the bottom ridge before disappearing once more; from any other woman it would have left him annoyed and almost rolling his eyes at her inexperience, but from _her_ … “Don’t stop, Rabbit.”

                Usagi blushed as she locked eyes with him again. “I…I’m honestly not sure what I’m doing, _r’sha_ …”

                “Just like I did to you,” he breathed, threading his fingers through the golden strands to coax her forward again.

                She regarded those words thoughtfully, recalling how he’d licked and kissed and sucked… and then Usagi suddenly felt how close he was to losing to his beast and jamming himself in her mouth. That gave her an idea, and she silently chuckled at how easy it was to just see through the bond what he liked and how—

                Turles groaned, his head falling back as she interrupted her own thoughts with a long, slow lick from the base of his shaft to the tip. “Rabbit,” he choked out, “I—I don’t know how—“ He lost his voice when her lips caressed the opening in his head before parting and sliding over him slowly, followed by a gentle suck. “—but I’m about to come,” he finished with a half-whimper.

                Her face popped back into view then, complete with a surprised but very self-satisfied smile. “Really?”

                The hopeful innocence in that action made Turles smile and nod. “Yes, it’s that good,” he answered in reply to her unspoken question. “So _don’t stop_ ,” his beast added with a little growl.

                Usagi surprised herself by the teasing flicker of her tongue over the fluid leaking out of him, then the quick retreat to grin up at him mischievously. “And if I do?”

                Gods, did she have the slightest fucking clue how sexy she was right then? “If you don’t stop, I’ll return the favor… and if you do… I’m going to throw you down and take what I want.”

                “I can’t have both?” She blurted out, immediately blushing at the statement.

                “Woman,” the beast whispered, “finish me off and I’ll give you whatever you fucking want.”

                “Just you,” she answered simply, sweetly, before engulfing him in her mouth once more and sucking the head softly, followed by a torturously slow sliding of her lips down the shaft. Usagi silently marveled at his self-control up to that point when he flexed his hips and thrust upwards, his hands finally fisting in her hair as he moaned her name. That was what she’d wanted, what she’d been aiming for—she’d wanted to make him lose control, desired nothing more than to see what it would take to push him over the edge and bring his beast fully to the surface.

                And as he growled and sighed and erupted inside of her mouth with a choked noise that sounded like her name, Usagi mentally purred happily as she swallowed every drop of him, ignoring the slightly unpleasant taste on her tongue in favor of making her mate happy.

                Turles felt her mouth retreat from him and simply slumped in his pilot’s chair, eyes closed, panting for air, trying like hell not to pass out at what had been a surprisingly overwhelming climax. And when he finally opened his eyes, he found her watching him, her blue gaze looking up at him questioningly, and he smiled when he realized she was waiting to hear his approval. “I think you should switch seats with me, Rabbit… it’s your turn to be captain for a little bit while I return the favor.”

                When she hesitated for a moment, Turles scooped her up and plopped her down in the captain’s chair before shoving her skirt to her hips, and grinned as he immediately took her with his mouth and she cried out his name.

                “So… so much better at this sort of thing than… than I am…” Usagi panted, her fingers buried in his hair as he latched onto her clit and began to suck aggressively. “Turles… Turles, I’m going to—“ Part of her wondered momentarily if he was going to tease her the way she’d teased him, but she felt his beast in total control as it growled and purred at the same time and gripped her hips tightly, giving her a silent order to take her pleasure immediately so he could claim her.

                If the ship hadn’t been soundproof, the Kanassan guard would have heard her loud cry of pleasure as she saw white and nearly blacked out from the intense orgasm. “Dear gods… Turles… please… I want you right now…”

                “And you’ll get what you desire, princess,” he purred, lifting her out of his seat to take it and settle her onto his lap. “Come for me again,” he ordered roughly as he thrust up into her, sinking his teeth into her mark and clutching at her tightly. Turles groaned when she unexpectedly latched on to his own shoulder and bit down fiercely, sending them both right over the edge from the simultaneous marking.

                “S—Sorry…” Usagi gasped when she pulled away. “I didn’t mean to—“

                “No,” Turles purred and chuckled at the same time. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I’d planned on getting you off a few dozen times first.” He kissed her then and sighed happily. “So… what’s Raditz doing again?”

                “Probably reaching into something important and saying ‘oh, what does this do?’ before yanking out a vital part. He said he’d stall Nappa as best he could and give us a head start.” Her scouter went off yet again and she sighed, resting her forehead against his chest.

                “Hey, at least they waited until we’d gotten off,” Turles chuckled, kissing the top of her head. “That one’s probably your father or your brother, so you might want to fix your dress and cover your mark.”

                “I don’t want to answer it,” she sighed softly. “I just want it to be you and me and no one else. I’ll be happy like that.” Usagi nuzzled her face into his chest and smiled as he began to purr comfort to her, his hands moving smoothly up and down her back.

                “I’d like that too, Rabbit. But it can’t be that way and you know it. Answer the scouter, _r’sha_. You know as well as I that they’ll only get angrier the longer it rings, and frankly… even I have to admit that we both need to work towards getting on their good sides,” he grumbled.

                “About that you’d be right,” she sighed in agreeance, donning the piece of tech and hitting the answer button. Usagi immediately licked her lips nervously, blushed, and cast her eyes downward at the sight of her stepfather. He wasn’t her sire by blood, but he’d made it clear over a decade ago that he was her father whether either of them liked it or not. And he had been, too, taking the title as a very great joy and responsibility. “Daddy,” she whispered.

                Turles immediately stiffened and slid Usagi out of his lap, unable to stay under her like that when he knew damned well who she was talking to. Some subconscious part of his mind screamed that the king would somehow know and call them out on it, only adding to the list of broken laws… and probably bones.

                “I’m not going to yell,” King Vegeta ground through his teeth. “I swore to your mother that I wouldn’t, and I won’t. The one thing I want to know, Usagi… is what in the _hell_ was going through your head at the very beginning of all of this?”

                Usa cocked her head, her innocent eyes locking with her father’s, and she blurted out the very first thing she’d thought when Turles had found her. “Oh shit, it burns?”

                Turles groaned at that and could practically see Vegeta’s jaw jumping, eye twitching, and head vein pulsing as a long silence passed on the scouter, his mate standing there blushing and shrugging slightly. “Thanks, Rabbit,” he finally whimpered. “Irritate the man even more than he already is. Really good plan.”

                “I’d listen to—“ The king ground his teeth again and the vein in his forehead began to throb and turn purple. “— _your mate,_ ” he finally managed.

                Usagi sighed heavily and perched on the end of the pilot’s seat, fluffing her hair in agitation. “What do you want me to say, Daddy? It’s done.” She waved off Turles when her blood pressure cuff beeped once in warning and tears filled her eyes. “I’m sorry if you’re mad at me, Daddy. That was never my intention.”

                “I’m not mad at _you_ ,” he stressed, “I’m pissed as hell in general. Especially with…” There was that damned fucking word again. “… ** _him_**.”

                Usagi’s eyes flashed with anger at that and she met the king’s immediately. “This was not Turles’s fault, Father, so don’t you _dare_ blame him!” She snapped. “It was completely my fault for sneaking into his room and nicking a piece of that fruit, and it’s not like _either_ of us knew what in the hell it was going to do to me! I thought it was a normal piece of fruit, not some crazy power thingy for Saiyans! I take it that Mother didn’t even explain to you what exactly happened to me when I ate the damned thing, did she!?”

                Her father had the decency to blush and look away. “She gave me the gist of it without going into detail, Usagi. I highly suggest that you don’t elaborate for me, either,” he added dryly.

                “Then I suggest that you stop accusing _my mate_ of doing something wrong! If it had been Mother you would have taken her and—“

                “ _Enough_ , girl!” The king barked out, immediately flinching at the sound of the steady beeping of her cuff.

                “Usagi, that’s enough,” Turles grunted. “Breathe and relax,” he ordered as he gently massaged her shoulders, uncaring that the king could see him at the angle he was sitting at behind her. “Sire,” he added softly, “while I understand that you’re upset and I can’t blame you, this isn’t good for Usagi or our son. I respectfully ask that you cease this line of conversation or sign off.”

                _He’s got balls, I’ll give him that much,_ the king grumbled to himself. And it was obvious by Turles’s treatment and handling of Usagi that he cared for her deeply. “You love him?” Vegeta growled.

                “Yes, Daddy. I do. Very much,” Usagi replied softly, wiping at her eyes.

                “What about you, boy?”

                Turles merely nodded and then nuzzled Usagi’s shoulder before resuming his method of relaxing her.

                “Girl, I’ll call back when we’ve both had some time to rein it in. You may not be mine by blood, but we could both argue with a brick wall… and that won’t solve this.”

                “Yes, Father.” Click. Usagi immediately burst into a fit of wracking sobs and chucked her scouter across the room, sagging back into Turles’s arms and burying her face in his chest. “He’s going to fucking kill us,” she choked out.

                “Actually,” Turles managed, “I thought that went rather well. I sure as hell expected him to start screaming and ranting at the both of us.”

                “B—but he… he didn’t say he’d call off the Elite!” Usagi squeaked.

                Her mate sighed and nodded as he nipped at her mark and purred gently in comfort to her. “Look, Rabbit… this will likely take time for both your father and your brother to accept. There’s a good chance that we may have to settle down in another quadrant for a year; maybe even two. We’ll figure something out. I’ll reroute my current cargo through Bojack when he arrives and have him deliver it in exchange for half the profit. I’ll take low-key, legal jobs if I can. We won’t be destitute.”

                “I don’t care about money,” Usagi sighed. “I just want our son to know his grandparents and his aunts and uncles. It’s unfair to him.”

                “Trust me, little rabbit,” he purred, tipping her face up to kiss her soothingly. “Nothing brings a pissed off father around like a grandson to dote on. The king will get over this, and he’ll see that we’re meant for each other, whether he or your brother likes it or not. So far, we’ve got everyone on our side but them. And all of those people can visit, which will be simple once Kakarot figures out that teleporting thing, right?” Turles kissed her again when she gave him a tearful little nod and scooped her easily into his arms, carrying her down the hallway to nestle her into his bed.

###################################

                The increasingly loud volume of a scouter beeping slowly roused Turles as whomever was calling him stayed on the line and waited for him to answer, and he nearly ignored it until he recalled how late he’d fallen asleep. The room was light now, indicating that it was past dawn on Vegeta-sai, and Turles swore as he glanced at the clock and hastily donned the tech. “Sorry! Last night was a very long one, Bojack.”

                “No doubt enjoying the spoils of your latest conquest?” He ask, waggling his orange eyebrows.

                “Actually, no. Said spoils was crying her fucking eyes out after dealing with her father. Speaking of which, we need to get the fuck out of here and _fast_ , Bojack. I have no doubt that _someone’s_ going to be closing in soon.”

                “Not a problem. Just get your little lady to do her thing to the ship and we’ll be underway. I’m already cloaked and I’ve got The Darling on a tow chain.”

                “Shitfuck. Is it light or dark on this damned planet?” He sputtered as he gently shook Usagi.

                “It’s just starting to get dark. Don’t worry, we’ll have good cover to work under. You got my payment, Saiyan?” He added seriously.

                “Right here,” Turles replied, plucking up two fruits from the bedside table to show to him. “All yours, once we’re out of hot water. Usagi, come on baby. Bojack’s here and we need you to do that thing to the ship.”

                “Oh, right. Sure,” she replied groggily, wiping the sleep from her eyes before stretching and retrieving her pen from her subspace. “He said he’s cloaked… does that mean invisible?”

                “Yeah, pretty much. Why?”

                She waved the pen and grinned. “We are, too. Haul away, Bojack,” she instructed him through Turles’s scouter. “Hopefully they won’t notice we’re missing.”

                “Not for a while, anyway,” the other pirate rumbled. “Because I still need to equip your landing gear and arm you to the teeth.”

                “Missiles?” The mated couple asked at the same time.

                Bojack smiled wryly and shrugged. “Consider it a wedding present. I’ve been in your place before, and well…” His smiled died and he sighed heavily. “…it didn’t turn out so well. We’ll leave it at that. I’d like to give you two a fighting chance to escape the quadrant.”

                Turles nodded gravely and looked to his mate, who was smiling sadly up at him. “Thank you, Bojack. We’re very much in debt to you, payment or no payment.”

                Usagi grabbed hold of something when there was a little shudder throughout the ship when it stopped and looked around in surprise. “That was fast.”

                “Yeah, there are other ships on the other side of the lake, so I couldn’t pull us quite as far as I would have liked,” Bojack answered. “I’m boarding you now, Turles.”

                “Darling, open the door for him,” Turles instructed as he headed towards the bridge with Usagi close behind him. “And drop anchor.”

                As soon as they got there, a door swung open and Usagi blinked at how downright tall the blue-skinned pirate was. “Gods… you’re almost as big as Nappa…”

                “But not quite as large beneath the belt, Highness,” he replied with a wink. “He and I got drunk one night and finally put the debate to rest; he’s definitely got me beat.”

                “Eh, only by two inches, from what I hear,” Turles chuckled as he gave the other outlaw a hearty slap on the back. “Bojack, this is my mate, Her Royal Highness, Serenity the Second. And Usa, this is Bojack, one of the best motherfucking pirates in all four quadrants.”

                Usa gave the best curtsey she could in her nightgown, and was slightly surprised when Bojack returned it with a perfect, courtly bow—not too shallow, not too deep, and performed just long enough to denote more than just simple respect for someone of her station. “Ok. I want to know where you learned that.”

                “Learned what?” He asked with false innocence.

                “Oh, you know damned well what I’m talking about,” she snorted, stepping around her mate to slowly study Bojack from head to toe. “You’ve had court training somewhere.” When his smile turned a little sad, Usagi frowned and was fairly sure it had something to do with his mention of ‘being in their place.’ “Never mind, I’m sorry I asked.”

                “It’s alright, angel. For the record, I can dance as well.” He studied her just as closely as she had him and winked. “And I have to admit, Turles has exquisite taste. The stories of your beauty don’t do you justice, Usagi.”

                “Ok, enough with the flattery,” Turles snorted, shoving his beast’s jealousy down quickly. Bojack was just being Bojack and he knew that, the other pirate meant absolutely nothing by his light flirting with Usa. He led the way below and pointed out the cargo first. “All yours. It’s going to Vegeta-sai, and since I can’t deliver it, I thought you might want the profit,” he said, handing over a roll of credits from his back pocket. “They paid in advance.”

                “Per usual, I won’t ask what’s in the cargo, but—“

                “Fire dragon eggs from Earth,” Turles said with a wave of his hand. “I require any client to disclose the contents if they could be a danger to my ship. So just keep them away from open flame or any heat above two hundred and you won’t have a problem.”

                “Good to know,” Bojack choked out, glad that Turles had told him. “Last thing I want is _that_ many dragons trying to set my lovely hair on fire.”

                “Exactly. I’ll help you haul it all out real quick since the landing gear is just below the boxes— Usagi, what in the hell are you doing?” Turles snapped.

                She set down the box she’d lifted and blinked. “Helping. Duh. They’re not heavy, Turles.”

                “Ass upstairs, right now. My mate is not lifting anything while she’s carrying my brat,” he said firmly. When she gave him those wide blue eyes he yanked her to him with his tail and nipped at her lower lip. “Be a good girl and we can play a game later,” he whispered in her ear.

                “Does it involve me running and hiding again?” She giggled, unable to stop her fingers from tracing the definition of his stomach.

                “No, it involves the captive princess being seduced to within an inch of her life by the big, bad pirate,” he purred softly.

                Usagi turned bright red as she saw just a single flash of what he had planned and immediately nodded. “I’ll… um… get the rope.”

                “That’s what I thought,” he chuckled before claiming her lips slowly, gently, stopping only when Bojack reminded them with a grunt that they had audience. “Get upstairs, _r’sha_.”

                “Love you,” she sighed, giving him one last peck on the lips before doing as she’d been told.

                “She’s perfect,” Bojack rumbled while Turles watched her climb the stairs with a look of what could only be love. “Now let’s get this shit moved and your ship repaired before we’re missed, Turles. We don’t have much time.”

####################################

                It took over an hour once the cargo was moved, but with a lot of sweat and cursing, Bojack and Turles managed to get the landing gear replaced using their unnatural speed and strength and armed all of the spare missiles as well.

                “Well, we’ll be flying a little lighter without the cargo, at least,” Turles sighed as he handed Bojack a beer and took a seat in the kitchen. He grinned as Usagi walked in, dressed in one of her nicer gowns, sans corset, and gave her a little wink. “Everything ready, Rabbit?”

                Usagi just blushed and gave him a tiny nod before pouring herself a glass of juice and fixing each of them a massive sandwich. “Here, you both should eat before we get going.”

                Bojack nodded and thanked her for the sandwich before pointing at the clock overhead. “Which needs to be soon. Frankly, I’m amazed that they haven’t sounded an alarm just yet.”

                “Don’t talk just yet,” Turles sighed. “Gods, I wish I bothered to get a cloaking device installed on The Darling. It would make life so much easier right now.”

                “And I won’t be able to hold the disguise power thing for a lot longer,” Usagi added. “It’s just too much area to cover, Turles. Sorry.”

                “It’s ok, Rabbit. You’ve done really well on it so far if they haven’t found us out.” They all ate hurriedly at that and Bojack was the first one to rise from his chair and stretch.

                “Alright, let’s get going. I’ll cover for you if things get hairy, Turles.” He blinked in surprise when the blonde angel standing next to her mate suddenly darted forward and hugged him tightly, but he returned the embrace as gently as possible. “You be safe, angel.”

                “We both will, Bojack. And thank you, from the bottom of my heart. We’re both very grateful for your help.”

                “Payment as promised,” Turles added once his mate had released the other pirate, and promptly handed over two Fruit of Might. “Just make sure if you have a Lunarian shipmate, she doesn’t get ahold of one of them… things’ll get messy.”

                “I could only be so lucky,” he replied with a wink to a blushing Usagi.

                Once Bojack had sealed the door behind him and was on his own ship, Turles cheerfully threw Usagi over his shoulders and laughed the entire way to the bridge. “Come on, Rabbit! Let’s get underway and the _fuck_ off this rock!”

                “You sure are happy!” Usagi squealed as he swung her down into the co-pilot’s chair.

                Turles’s smile grew soft as he leaned down and fluffed her hair, kissing the crescent on her forehead. “I’m happy because we might actually have a shot at getting away, Rabbit. A good shot. I know what happened to Bojack, he told me downstairs. His princess gave herself up to her father when they were caught, giving Bojack a chance to get away. They never saw each other again… and that’s not fucking happening with me and you. You’re mine,” he sighed, slanting his mouth over hers, kissing her long and slow until she began to moan softly in response.

                “I’m yours,” Usagi whispered in reply, trailing her fingers down his jaw. “Now,” she continued with a tiny smirk, “let’s get the hell out of here so we can put it on autopilot and play your little game.”

                “Mmm… what a delightful little mind you have, _r’sha_.”


	9. Chapter 9

“There we go. Free of the atmosphere… Bojack, you clear, man?” Turles drawled out lazily, unable to get rid of the stupid, gleeful grin on his face. They were free of Kanassa, and likely free of Usagi’s father and brother… just as soon as they could get on the other side of the moon, anyway. Then they would have enough free room to maneuver without anything in the way, and Turles would likely be able to win any dogfight that might pop up from an overzealous squad of guards.

                “Just behind you, Turles,” Bojack chuckled back. “And don’t sound so excited, boy… you remind me of a horny fifteen year old.”

                “I feel like one,” he sighed into the mic on his headset. “Forty-five or fifteen… I’ve never been this randy in my life. Heh… maybe my dear little princess is about to experience her first Saiyan burning,” he snickered, glancing over to find Usagi blushing to her toes at his and Bojack’s conversation.

                “Is she on the com?” Bojack asked, his words punctuated by his deep, rolling laugh.

                “Yes, I am,” Usagi squeaked.

                “Well, angel… I suggest that you ready yourself for The Fuckening. Because that’s what it’s going to be when—TURLES! TWELVE O’CLOCK!”

                The Saiyan pirate swerved just in time to miss a ship twice his size, then thanked the gods that Usagi was strapped in when the other ship maneuvered in behind him and rode his ass. “We’ve got company! Bojack, get out of here and—“

                “No, boy! I’ll cover you, just get behind the moon as fast as you can!”

                “You’d better lay down arms, Bojack, before I blow you to Hell. I swear if you so much as _scratch_ my ship you can stick your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye.”

                “FATHER!?” Turles shouted into the com. He would have jumped out of his seat in shock if not for the five-point harness strapping him in place, so he sat there in simple stunned surprise as he heard Bardock’s rolling laugh through his earpiece.

                “ _Ja’ta_ ,” Usagi said softly over the com. “…have you… come to take us in?”

                Warming at the sound of her calling him “father,” Bardock grinned on the vidscreen as he hacked Turles’s console and winked down at his new daughter. “ _F’ri_ , daughter. I’ve come to escort the two of you to the Southern quadrant. I figure the combined power of The Darling and The Beast should secure you brats a quick escape, even if you are flying heavy and dragging ass in the water.”

                “Not as heavy as before,” Turles said quickly. “Bojack’s hauling my cargo.”

                “And Bojack’s ship isn’t equipped for the kind of fight we may be up against. Boy, you need to make tracks, and _fast_. Prince Vegeta is already headed this way in The Pride, and he’s got several cruisers with him, all of them new, sleek, fast as hell and armed to the teeth. The Darling is armed to the teeth, but he _will_ be taking his sister in if he catches us up. And Raditz is nearly here and still under orders, so we need to haul ass.”

                “Lead the way, Father,” Turles said quickly, tossing his mate his scouter. “ _R’sha_ , call Raditz and see if he can’t stall for some more time.”

                Ignoring the beeping of her cuff, Usagi donned the tech and immediately dialed Raditz, who grinned and nodded at her. “I’m already on it, sister. I tampered with the hyper drive on the cruiser, and Captain Bega is absolutely furious about it. Pity that he can’t take me on my best day… or your sister.”

                “Tell Rei to light his ass up if he tries anything, Radu. And thank you,” Usagi added softly, “we really owe all of you for this.”

                “Damn right you do,” Raditz chuckled before hanging up.

                “It’s taken care of,” Usagi said happily to Turles.

                “Well, then I suppose I’m out,” Bojack said seriously. “You two take care of yourselves, and contact me when you’ve found a safe haven.”

                “We will. Thank you, Bojack,” Usagi replied sincerely. “And Bo…? Maybe you should go track down that princess of yours, hm? If you still love her, maybe she still loves you, too.”

                “She’ll probably saw my balls off, then roast them with her ki right in front of me,” he grumbled.

                “Oh, you boys all enjoy that roughhousing. And you’ll never know if you don’t go talk to her. Who knows? Maybe she’s a queen now and she’s free to marry whomever she wants?”

                That put a little smile on Bojack’s face, and Turles and Usagi could see him punching buttons and plotting a new course. “You know what? It’s been twenty years, little angel. I think you just might be right. I’d kiss you if I could right now, beautiful.”

                “Kiss _her_ instead,” Usagi giggled. “And call us if she doesn’t roast you alive.”  


#####################################

                Finally hidden behind the shadow of the moon, Usagi and Turles breathed a huge sigh of relief in tandem despite the fact that Bardock had ordered them to stop instead of continuing on towards freedom and the Southern quadrant.

                “Alright, boy, I’m docked with you. I’ll be boarding shortly,” Bardock said before signing off the vidscreen. A knock on the cockpit door was heard several minutes later, and Turles answered it and immediately embraced his father.

“I can’t thank you enough, _ja’ta_.”

                “No, boy. I owe _you_. I was a shitty ass father to you after Romayna died… I wasn’t there when you needed me before, and you need me right now. So I’m trying to make up for it. Besides… what kind of father would I be if I didn’t help my son take off with his very own princess? Just like I did with your mother,” he confessed with a grin.

The dumbstruck look on his son’s face made him laugh and he hugged him again. “Yeah… we never told you boys, but… I was a space pirate, too. Just like your Grandpa Raditz and your Great-Grandaddy Turles. And your mother… she was a princess from a Saiyan colony a few galaxies over. Well, I went on a raid one night and took on a ton of goods… and a young woman for ransom. That was the Princess Romayna, and it worked out much better than I’d _ever_ thought it would. Heh… I seduced the _hell_ out of that woman,” he mused fondly.

                “No wonder I never met mother’s father,” Turles whispered aloud in utter shock.

                Usagi was surprised as well, but she smiled slyly up at Bardock, her arms crossed over her chest. And of course, her royal mind was working fast and hard with this new information. “So, Bardock… you’re telling me that that makes you a prince consort?”

                “Eh, I guess it does?” He asked in return, shrugging one shoulder. “I never thought of it that way, honestly, girl.”

                “But if we do… that would make Turles a _prince_.”

                “So?” Both men replied.

                “Vegeta wanted me to marry royalty at first. Then he dialed it back to Saiyan alpha males. My choice. If Turles is a prince, then he meets every qualification that Vegeta requested before he even gave me free rein to choose from alphas. Maybe… maybe he won’t bitch as much if he knows I mated with royalty?”

                “House of Bardock,” Turles reminded her smugly. “Prince or pirate, I’m still Kakarot’s brother, _k’sha m’yo_. And we don’t have time for this,” he added quickly. “Father, why _are_ we stopping?”

                “Supplies,” Bardock said shortly. “I brought enough to keep you brats for a year and they’re all in my cargo hold.”

                “We’d better hurry, then,” Turles grunted. “Usa, I want you to make a few calls. First… call your mother and let her know where we’re headed. Then call your brother and your father and see if you can’t get them to back off. Cry a little if you can,” he added with a smirk. “Pull those big blue eyes on them both.”

                Usagi did as she was asked the moment Bardock and her mate were down in the hold, and she had a brief discussion with her mother involving the baby more than anything. She giggled as she hung up from that one; of course her mother swore to handle her father and brother, then had proceeded to go into a list of dos and don’ts for her pregnant daughter.

                The next call was to Vegeta, and Usagi did exactly as Turles had advised, meeting his gaze with her big blue eyes as wide and as terrified as she could get them. “Please, Vegeta… this isn’t good for the baby and you know it,” she whispered, a tiny tremble to her voice.

                The crown prince merely shook his head a little and tried not to look at his sister again when her eyes welled up with tears; he’d thought about his unborn nephew more than once, and the idea of harming him—however unintentionally—was really beginning to weigh on his conscience.

                “Gee-Gee… you said any alpha male. And you even offered Gohan as a choice. The only one you didn’t want me to pick was Kakarot.”

                “But you just had to go and pick his body double, didn’t you? And even if it was a spur of the moment thing, I would have been better prepared if I’d known about you liking him!” Vegeta ground out, still refusing to look at her. “Rei told me,” he added with a sputter. “She said you had a thing for him when you were younger.”

                “Yes I did, Geta, and I’m sorry. But this wasn’t intentional, I swear it! Please forgive me… and please don’t punish my mate and my son for my mistake!” Her cuff began beeping then and she felt a few tears spill over to run down her cheeks just as she caught a flicker of concern in her brother’s eyes. “Please, Geta,” she continued to beg. “ _Please_.”

                “I’ll think about it,” he sighed, his voice still coming out low and annoyed. Anything to wipe that look of despair off of his baby sister’s face, anything to save them all the heartache that would come if Usagi lost the brat because of his actions. “Couldn’t you have at least picked royalty?” He managed in an attempt to lighten the mood.

                “Actually… Geta… after speaking with Bardock, he informed us that Romayna was a Saiyan princess from another colony. That would by all rights make Bardock a prince consort… and Turles a prince,” Usagi replied seriously, wiping at her face as she hiccupped.

                Vegeta visibly twitched at that, his mind hanging up on one fact that had nothing to do with his sister. “Kakarot’s a PRINCE!?”

                “A lesser prince since he’s the youngest, but technically… yeah,” Usagi whispered. “Vegeta, please. You’re getting off the subject. Will you please stop this chase and let us go in peace?”

                “Not right now!” He barked, muttering to himself about royal blood, third class bastards and how he was going to kick Kakarot’s ass the next time they met.

                Usagi sighed when he signed off without giving her an answer and decided against calling her father; she’d let her mother handle that with her womanly wiles… at least for now.

############################

                “Well, you certainly look happy. Where’s _ja’ta_?”

                “Father said that there wasn’t time for goodbyes, but he and I had a long talk while we unloading everything,” he said with a genuine smile. “I think everything’s good between the two of us, now, Rabbit.” He slung Usagi up in his arms then and kissed her passionately as he walked them to the bridge and sat her down in the co-pilot’s chair.

                Panting for air and more than a little dazed by such a toe-curling kiss, Usagi could only watch him with a stupid little smile on her face. “I really love it when you’re happy,” she sighed amorously.

                “Then you’re really gonna love my pirate ass when we’re in the Southern Quadrant,” Turles quipped as they both strapped in and he began to set a course. “You read me, _ja’ta_?”

                “ _G’re, br’at._ Let’s get moving. I’ll take the rear. Send me the course you’re charting and I’ll follow you.”

                “Sent, Father. We’re underway,” Turles informed him as he punched some keys and The Darling shot off like a dart towards the quadrant border. After an hour of charting and making sure that they wouldn’t be intercepted anytime soon, the pirate nodded in satisfaction and looked over to find his mate dead asleep in her chair. “A pirate’s life isn’t always exciting,” he chuckled. “She’ll find _that_ out soon enough.”

                He unstrapped himself and then her from the five-point harnesses, then scooped up the little blonde that smelled like a slice of heaven and carried her to what he now thought of as _their_ quarters. It even had a new bed, courtesy of Bardock, one that was large enough for the both of them to sleep comfortably as Usagi grew rounder. “We’re well on our way to freedom, _r’sha_ ,” he breathed in her ear before nipping and licking at it.

                “Mmm… Turles, why does the bed smell so clean? Doesn’t smell like us,” she whispered sleepily without even opening her eyes.

                “New bed, sweetheart. It’s a gift from Father so that you’re not shoving me over the edge when your belly grows. I don’t suppose you’d wake up long enough for us to christen it?” He purred hopefully.

                “Mmm… depends on how you wanna wake me up,” she sighed, feeling awfully comfortable on the brand new mattress. Just from lying in it, Usagi could tell that Bardock had spared no expense on the mattress and box springs; it felt even better than the one she slept on back on the Moon.

                “He said only the best for the mother of his grandbrat,” Turles explained as he heard her thoughts. And then those thoughts became static and fuzzy and he knew she was dozing off once more. “Ah, hell… well, it has been a long ass day,” he sighed. “Come on, Rabbit,” he purred in her ear, sitting her up against his chest so he could remove her dress and toss it to the floor, leaving her in only her shift. He then gently tucked his mate in the bed, stripped and showered quickly, then ventured back in to cut off the lights and slide in beside her.

                They’d break in the bed in the morning, he thought with a soft chuckle as he snuggled her tightly, happier than he had been in years.

###########################################

                Usagi woke from a dream about rocking a Saiyan child in her arms, startled from sleep by the sensation of lips suckling gently between her thighs, coupled with a deep, rolling purr laced with arousal and seduction. “Mmm… morning, _r’sha_ …”

                Turles growled loudly the moment she tried to tug him up to her and Usagi leaned up a bit to find him dripping with sweat, his eyes glazed and a little wild as he gazed up at her. “Oh shit,” she breathed, quickly laying back down when he nipped at her inner thigh and growled out a sharp order in Saiyan. “ _T’au_ ,” she whispered, feeling the edge to his temper calm through the bond as he dove back into her heat to devour her once more. “ _Kot’tor, r’sha… t’au_ …” She continued to soothe him through the bond for as long as possible, but soon enough she was coming hard, gripping his head with her thighs as she cried out and tightened around the tail that had snaked inside of her at some point.

                “ _M’yo_ ,” Turles purred as he crawled back up and pulled her to him to remove her shift, tossing it to the floor in a sweaty, white heap. “ _R’sha m’yo_.”

                “ _G’in… t’au,_ Turles _. K’sha’or_ ,” Usagi replied gently, hooking her legs around his waist to offer herself. She wasn’t surprised when he immediately took her, but she was shocked and extremely proud of his level of control despite the burning when he began to love her gently. She’d expected one hell of a pounding and had worried about the baby, but she knew that to fight a burning Saiyan male was to court disaster.

But he wasn’t slamming into her with his lust unchecked. He was carefully lifting her hips for a better angle, kissing every inch of skin he could reach, and flexing inside of her tenderly, his purr so strong that she could feel it between her thighs. “ _M’eh tah’kha’or au_ ,” she whispered in his ear as she felt herself spiraling up, her nails digging into his back as she moaned his name and clamped down around him.

                Those words made him groan happily; as long as he was inside of her, he could control the beast, could think rationally through the burning, and he was grateful to every god he could think of that he wasn’t being so overwhelmed by the drive to mate that he was hurting her. “ _Nee au_ , _r’sha_.”

                _And you._

Utterly surrendering to his beast, Usagi arched into him then and rocked her hips in time with his, losing herself to pleasure for the next several hours. She felt him come several times as he moaned her name and whispered Saiyan endearments into her ear, but there was apparently no stopping him during the burning, so she just went with it and tried to ignore the growing ache around her entrance.

                But finally he stopped, panting heavily into her breasts, still pouring sweat, shaking like a leaf as he fought for air and control. Turles could feel the pain between her thighs and had come one last time in an effort to hold the burning at bay for a while, but it was still going strong, the relentless drive to mate pounding away at his body. “Usa… Usa… _mah’ni, r’sha… po’mir… f’ri hi’nah_ …”

                “It’s alright,” she breathed into his soaked hair. “Take what you need, _r’sha_. I love you and I’m yours. Just don’t hurt the baby.”

                “ _Fri’ih, m’eh j’ha nava m’yo_.” He nipped at her lower lip then and started moving again, groaning softly at how tight and warm she was, how accepting his mate was of his inner beast and the hormonal and emotional baggage that came along with it. “ _R’sha m’yo…”_ His hand caressed along the barely noticeable curve of her belly and he felt of swell of pride and love inside of him when he sensed the ki growing within her. _“Br’at m’yo_ …”

                Usagi wasn’t  moaning in pleasure, though, she was trying not to wince with every movement of his hips as she felt that she was getting raw from all the friction. “Bite me,” she whispered, “it’ll help.” She didn’t even have to urge him to, he was sinking his teeth deep into her mark within a second of hearing her request, and her head rolled back in ecstasy as she instantly came.

                “ _V’nu_ ,” he ordered hoarsely when she began to flinch once more, immediately clamping down on her mark and driving his fangs into her as deep as he could. Turles kept his mouth there as he continued to thrust into her steadily and silently begged the gods to let the burning subside with his next orgasm, at least long enough so that he could attend to his mate. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her, or even worse, harm the child growing within her.

                The gods were listening, apparently. As Turles came explosively, his bite taking his mate right along with him, he finally sagged and rolled off of her, his hand hunting for the ointment in his nightstand.

                Usagi whimpered as she felt him applying it carefully to her folds and her entrance, taking the sting out of the tear she’d sustained, helping the tender, bleeding flesh knit back into place. Hopefully he’d sleep for a few hours while the medicine did its work, and then she’d be ready for another pounding. “Only another day or two of this to go,” she moaned.

###################################

                “ _G’re, ja’ta_ … he’s sleeping right now.”

                “We’re lucky as hell that we weren’t intercepted while he was burning. I’d figured that’s what was happening, since he seemed a little sweatier than normal while we were unloading, but…” Bardock shrugged and shook his head. “You’re sure that you and the brat are alright?”

                “Yeah, I already checked with the med scanner. Turles was actually very gentle, _ja’ta_ ,” Usagi added with a deep blush. “Other than being sore, I’m fine. My cuff only went off twice, too.” She studied the console and wrinkled her nose in distaste for what looked like a lot of math. “ _Ja’ta_ … I have no clue what all of this means. How far are we from the Southern Quadrant?”

                “About another week, Usa. It’s the closest to Vegeta-sai, but it’s still not a stone’s throw when you’re flying heavy like The Darling.”

                “Any word on my brother?” She asked with a frown and little shiver down her spine.

                “None. Honestly, Usa… I don’t know if he’s close are if he’s gone away and left you alone. He’s fully cloaked; not even The Beast’s equipment can pick up his radar.” Bardock frowned deeply at that and sighed. “I’d home in on his ki instead, but…”

                “He’s suppressing it,” Usagi finished for him. “Typical battle tactic,” she sighed worriedly as she donned Turles’s scouter. “Excuse me for a moment, _ja’ta_. I’m going to call him.”

                “Worried?” Vegeta snorted the moment he saw his baby sister on the screen.

                “Yes,” Usagi admitted softly, “I am. I would have called sooner, Geta, but… Turles is burning right now. We’re over the worst of it, though.”

                “No wonder I caught up,” he mused aloud as he looked away, clearly absorbed in something. “And I did some thinking, girl… and it’s a good thing that I did. Because when I caught you up two hours ago, I normally would have immediately disabled The Darling and The Beast and brought you in. But instead I decided to shove my nose up the ass of the ship that’s cloaked and tailing Bardock.”

                Usagi’s eyes flew wide at that and she shot a look to the scarred Saiyan still on the main screen on the bridge. “ _Ja’ta_ , there’s a ship following you!” She blurted out.

                “Patch His Highness through on the three-way,” Bardock instructed. “The yellow button on the com, girl,” he sighed. “Dear gods, Turles really needs to teach you how to work this thing in case of an emergency.” He and Vegeta waited patiently for her to find it, and eventually both of them were on her screen. “Is it The Golden?” Bardock asked.

                “I believe so. My scanners are superior to everything out on the market, so I’m picking it up, but I can’t exactly see it with the naked eye to know for certain. And my intel on Kanassa confirms that Endymion escaped custody just after you exited the moon’s gravity.” Vegeta purred for a full second in reaction to the way his sister paled and her cuff began to beep, but he immediately stopped it out of his usual pride. “Relax, girl. You’ve got me behind the bag of dicks and Bardock right in front of him.”

                Usagi sat down in the pilot’s chair then and strapped in, eyeing the dash with intent. “What should I do?”

                “You’ll leave the damned thing on autopilot and let us handle it,” Bardock snorted. “ _That_ is what you’ll do, little girl. Understand me?”

                “ _G’in, ja’ta_.” Usagi continued to curiously study the buttons though, trying to recall everything she’d seen Turles push whenever he was accelerating or firing.

                “At any rate, The Golden will likely have to uncloak to engage,” Vegeta added to reassure her. “I doubt it has the necessary power supply to charge its firing system and still divert to the cloak. And once it does reveal itself, I’ll blow it to Hell.”


End file.
